Slowly As We Go
by AYangThang
Summary: Two women, one goal, and a whole host of problems as they try to take down the man behind the SDC.
1. Chapter 1

**AYangThang:** Right. So, how do I put this? Last week was trashy week for me, and it stressed me out. I decided to relax by writing a fan-fiction. Correction, I wrote a very, very _long_ fan fiction. I am continuing to write this fan-fiction because it had been a very nice distraction. Now, I'm unrepentantly posting this travesty, so, here it is. Read at your own insanity. Furthermore, consider this the only warning to my busted lack of give-a-damn that has caused this amalgamation of content in the first place. Truly, there is no excuse.

Readers, this is trash.  
It's always going to be trash.  
It's never going to be anything *but* trash.  
However, I like this trash.  
Therefore, I shall post it.

 **Slowly As We Go  
(A.K.A: My Incredibly Long Piece Of Trash Fan-Fiction)  
Chapter 1: A Strange Request**

She loved the sound of smooth jazz playing on the piano. There was a certain amount of sophistication that encouraged the music style. It was made all the better in the swanky nightlife of downtown Atlas. The way gentle, rich, notes wafted sweetly against hushed voices lured her into a false sense of security. Clusters of people sat at small circular tables, passing the night by in their own way. The way the fire feature cast the room in a warm glow set the mood for lovers swaying on the small elegant dancefloor.

Enamored, the wealthy woman drank all of it in, same as she did with the martini in her hand. It was incredibly dry, heavy on the gin, light on the vermouth. Served in a crystal clear glass that sparkled against the dim lighting. The tiniest smudge of her lipstick contrasting harshly with the clear purity.

She thought on this as she sat at the bar, one leg crossed over the other as she took another sip of her drink. Certainly, she didn't have to go out in order to drink. Strictly speaking her family hired servants to see to their every need. Regardless of status, there was something about this social atmosphere that spoke to her on a fundamental level. Perhaps it was the casual lovers enjoying blissful ignorance, sitting side by side, softly murmuring sweet nothings in a way she could only dream of.

It very well might have been, but even the most enviable people probably thought of her in the same way.

They looked at her and probably saw more money or power than they'd ever know what to do with. Most people probably thought that she wasn't worth the effort of befriending. Likely, they'd think her company unattainable, and entirely out of reach. It would be hard not to jump to those all too obvious conclusions. The situation was far from perfect, but it was completely understandable. The heiress decided she could make do with that ugly little detail, loathsome though it was.

As Weiss Schnee continually sipped her drink she couldn't help feeling lonely. She wanted to be like those around her, enjoying the company of another. She wanted to be lucky enough to be offered that kind of sincere attention. Not the mindless sort of gawking she normally received, but something genuine, pure, and true. Blue eyes drifted around, eyeing one unaccompanied female across from her.

The woman had been sitting at the bar for hours now, and they'd been trading glances all night long.

What were those amber eyes so fixated on? Weiss was compelled to wonder. Was it her perfect atlesian form, which was a sign of her blue-blooded heritage and storied family legacy? Was it the white gold broach, sporting the Schnee family crest that called to the woman's attention? Or could it simply be that the woman liked to watch people come and go, a silent observer and little more?

The white haired woman wasn't entirely sure, but those amber eyes were certainly breathtaking.

The woman's fair completion had a rich tone to it. Complimenting pitch black hair that curled softly to frame the woman's face. It made her features all the more striking, truth be told. The black bow atop her head seemed a little too flirty, perhaps even childish for a woman her age, but even it seemed to suit her.

Interestingly enough, the woman also seemed to be a martini drinker, as she also had one in her hand. A dirty one by the looks of the olive brine mixed into the drink. When the woman sent a final coy glance to the side, Weiss scoffed at her, turning her back to the woman. Whatever she was so interested it, Weiss knew better than to concern herself with it.

The Schnee heiress came here to avoid the public view, not to marinade in it.

She no sooner finished off what was in her glass, that another one was slipped in front of her by the bartender before he walked away.

"I didn't order this." She said just loud enough for him to hear, sliding it back. However, he didn't turn to retrieve it. Instead, he continued about his task, washing and drying glasses from behind the bar.

"A dry martini, hardly any vermouth. That's your usual order, is it not?" A woman's voice spoke from behind her, sending a shiver down her back.

It was that blasted woman from a moment ago. Weiss didn't think for a second that they'd be exchanging words, but here they were. In spite of her shock, and feeling somewhat flustered, Weiss chose to act upon cool displeasure. "And what you would know about that?"

"You come in here every Friday just as the bar opens at seven. You sit here, on that very stool, until last call. Usually you order no less than three absolutely dry martinis over the course of the night. I've seen you order as many as seven." The woman glanced to the clock. "It's about that time, and I like to consider myself an opportunist."

Weiss glanced at the drink. It looked exactly as the others she had ordered. "So you're attentive, I'll buy that. It still doesn't explain why you've offered me a drink, however."

"I'm curious." The woman replied simply. "May I sit with you?"

Weiss considered this. It had been what she wanted. Someone to talk to, someone who might actually be engaging in conversation. "Well, I've had worse companions. You may join me if you wish." She murmured, gesturing to the stool next to her. "Although, I wonder at your methods. I'm curious as to how you knew my order, but besides that, it's unusual for one woman to buy another a drink."

"To be entirely honest, I've had help." Blake said, glancing back to the bartender. "He and I, we go back a little."

"An ex?" Weiss asked with no small amount of interest in her tone.

"Nothing so personal." The woman laughed softly. "We were friends at school. The people that run this bar, they're all licensed hunters, if you can believe that."

"Which by that logic, would make you a huntress." Weiss intoned, cocking her head to the side briefly. There was something odd about that. "Interesting profession, although it's hardly what I would expect from the looks of you."

"Looks can be deceiving." The woman replied. "Although, I think you'd know all about that."

"Would I?" Weiss asked defensively.

The woman took pause at that, her bow twitching visibly. "Well, I would hope so, given that there's a big red neon sign that says 'Faunus welcome' in the entryway. Such a thing might be considered rare."

"I don't make a habit of scrutinizing an establishment purely based on the sort of patrons it caters to. This is the only piano bar that allows Faunus that I know of, but that's hardly my concern." Weiss replied with a shrug. "What of it? Is it some sort of crime for me to want to have a drink?"

"Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, sitting in a place like this?" At this, the woman laughed quietly at some sort of joke, causing Weiss to bristle. She hardly saw the same amusement in the matter. "You're completely out of place here. I don't even think the tabloids would believe it even if they saw it."

"That's entirely the point." Weiss said, her voice chilly and edgy. "When I come for drinks, I wish to do so privately. Here, I'm hardly ever approached."

"Well, that makes sense." The woman softly murmured. "Most of us are Faunus, even if we are hiding our appearances. That's why it's so fascinating to see you. A member of the Schnee family sitting here, in a Faunus friendly bar? No one would ever willing believe that. You could post it up all over the media, and all anyone would do is laugh. Most people would probably think it's impossible." This time the woman smirked darkly. "I didn't trust my own two eyes, not at first."

"Well, since you seem to know so much about me, why don't you tell me about yourself?" Weiss shot back, eager to not think so deeply on the social ramifications of talking to a complete stranger. A Faunus stranger at that. "What's your name?"

"Blake Belladonna."

Weiss hummed slowly, to imply that she understood. "And you're a Faunus?"

"A cat Faunus."

"I see." Weiss said, sipping the gifted drink. Her next question a slightly more precarious one. "And the bow?"

"It covers my ears." Blake said simply.

Weiss nodded, as she nursed her beverage, the two offering tiny musing here and there. It was nothing important, but it didn't have to be. There was something entirely bewitching about that amber eyed expression. A soft come-hither gaze. It was blasphemous at best, and unassuming at worst. Did this woman realize what she was doing? Had she lost all common sense? Did Blake realize that she held an appreciation of the fairer gender? That in spite of the media coverage proving otherwise, that Weiss had a tendency to engage in homosexual tendencies?

Weiss hadn't a clue, but she had never felt so parched while under the scrutiny of another. Never, not in her entire life, and considering her family, that spoke something to the pleasant buzzing in her mind.

Perhaps, in retrospect, it had spoken too loudly.

Weiss had emptied the martini faster than she'd intended. Then another, and another. They kept coming. Each wag of her finger, and her bottomless bank account was more than enough to ply both of them with an endless fountain of liquid courage. Several drinks later, and Weiss found that she was too far gone to care about her usual sensibilities. They learned in close as they spoke, every inch of Weiss warning her that the action in and of itself was a mistake.

Still, Weiss couldn't help but be distracted beyond reason. As this mysterious woman spun one tale after another about her adventures, Weiss felt herself being drawn in like a fly to honey. The worst part was, she didn't even care.

"And so, after a few years, I decided to put my weapon down. Even though I had always wanted to be a huntress, I realized that there wasn't enough steady work for me. I couldn't keep up the job, and I quit. I managed to find a dust mill in the city, and they hired me on." Blake explained, as her finger ran around the rim of her glass. "It pays well, considering…"

Weiss scowled, trying to recall what seemed to be an important piece of the puzzle. "Considering what?"

"Considering that I'm a Faunus." Blake replied simply.

"Oh." Her mind was too muddled, but she accepted the fact for what it was. Her blue eyes lifted to that black blow, and what was fabled to linger beneath it. "Well, Faunus or not, you are quite lovely." Weiss replied airily, bringing a completely empty glass to her lips before frowning deeply. Was she that distracted by Blake? She gazed back to the gorgeous woman. "That answers that question." She grumbled to herself unhappily.

"What answers what question?" Blake asked.

It was then that her mind caught up with her mouth. Weiss realized she had spoken out loud. She'd forgotten how loose her tongue became when she drank too much, and right now she was obviously toeing the line. "It was a wayward thought, nothing more." She glanced up to the clock. Only a few moments before the last call of the night. "My driver's likely waiting for me by now." Weiss said instead. "I really must be going, I'm sure you understand."

"It is about that time, isn't it?" Blake nodded, though she looked less than thrilled about the subject. "I'll walk you out."

Weiss shook her head. One hand held aloft, as if to keep the Faunus there on authority alone. "There really isn't any need, I can see to the matter myself."

Raising a dark brow curiously, Blake finally allowed the matter to drop. "Have it your way."

"Oh, trust me, I intend to." Weiss replied before biting on her lower lip. She had to be losing her mind, because what she thought of doing next would be nothing short of idiotic. Yet, branded an idiot she would be, because the invitation flew out of her mouth before she could stop it. "Though, should you choose to be opportunistic again, it seems that you know exactly where to find me."

* * *

On some Friday evenings, Weiss recalled why her mother had a drinking problem in the first place.

That Weiss felt a thirst for martinis herself wasn't nearly the concern that it likely should have been. Still, the stiff drink went down so much easier tonight. That was especially true after her father spent a small handful of hours insulting her.

Calling her incapable, as though she were a lesser person than him.

Calling her naïve, as if she could not comprehend the greater world around her.

Calling her juvenile, as if she were still a child.

Inadequacy over the years had obviously driven her mother to drink, and Weiss had long since discovered that she was not unlike the Schnee Matriarch.

No matter what Weiss did, she often felt the pangs of empty platitudes. Disapproval handed to her often enough, for reasons she couldn't even explain in the aftermath. No matter what her father called her, the fact of the matter remained that he found her lacking as a Schnee. She was a failure in all of the classic traits befitting a representative of the family. He made that detail abundantly clear, and like it or not, she was an ill-fitting heir to her family's prized company.

Weiss had always known that he found her to be a failure in some capacity.

"It sounds like you've had a rough day." Blake replied after listening to Weiss complain about the way her father spoke down to her.

"It's the normal thing for him to do." Weiss replied hotly. "He's always used a level of domineering control to get what he wants, that's just the way he is."

"That's not an excuse." Blake said slowly, as if trying to wrap her brain around the entire concept.

"Obviously." Weiss bit out. "You try telling _him_ that, though."

"I can assume that it wouldn't go over well?"

"You can assume worse than that." Weiss nodded, the small tilt of her head was enough to sway her long strands of white hair. Weiss didn't miss the way it captured Blake's attention. The Faunus eyeing the strands that glittered in the low light. Tiny dust crystals clinging to the pure white hair. "I can tell you from personal experience that arguing with him is a very good way of provoking his ire."

"Does he really have that short of a fuse?" Blake muttered, obviously put off by that very notion. Sure, she had heard some things, and as a Faunus suspected several others, but that all surrounded her heritage. Blake never would have thought that the man would abuse his own family. He seemed every bit the family man. When one took the time to survey the press, they'd see nothing amiss.

Blake knew it for a fact, because she had looked firsthand.

"To put the matter mildly, yes." Weiss grumbled with a gulp of the drink in her hand. "He does, very much so."

"That's unfortunate." Blake replied, trying not to let her disappointment show on her features. It was an effort not to let her ears display any emotion, least her bow crumple under the weight of such an admission. "I'd expect him to mistreat Faunus, but not his own family."

"That's the thing though." Weiss told Blake, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "Contrary to the assumptions of the public, _it is to be expected_. Of course it would be. Atlas has always been a strictly patriarchal society, even if it is one that goes to certain extremes."

"Still, that's not an excuse to mistreat his own family." Blake shot back again. "Or anyone, for that matter."

"The Atlesian way revolves around men, Blake." Weiss said, as though she were educating a small child. "According to my upbringing, power is an icon of masculinity in and of itself. Women are rarely, if ever, encouraged to take up a life outside of the home. There's something unsavory about the notion that a woman could, and _should_ , be capable of her own decisions. If a woman does take that sort of initiative, many often assume that it's because that woman doesn't have a well-educated man in her life."

"Isn't that just a little narrow-minded?" Blake said slowly, her own eyes turning to slits under her in disbelief.

"Of course it is, but that's the point." Weis sighed at length, finger twirling around the rim of her glass idly. "To that end, it is very rare to hear of a woman who can crush the usual gender bias with skill and determination." Her nail struck the glass once, twice, and finally a third time. Keeping the current tempo to the song that was playing.

It seemed like such a reflex that Blake was sure that Weiss didn't even realize she was doing it. "Coco Adel is perfectly successful." Blake pointed out.

"I didn't say it was impossible." Weiss shot back hotly. "It _does_ happen, but it isn't something that people of my particular standing encourage." Then, Weiss visibly deflated, shoulders slumping as she leaned heavily on the table shared by the two of them "I know Coco, and she's very lucky to have a supportive family. My father would never approve of me trying to stand on my own individuality the way that she does."

"Why not?" Blake asked, knowing it was still a seemingly stupid question, and yet feeling compelled to ask it anyway.

"According to high society, it's just not normal." Then Weiss smirked, but the humor was gone from her eyes. "Actually, everything Coco does, isn't considered normal."

In her father's eyes, Weiss would never measure up to the imperious standards of the family name. It didn't matter that she inherited the coveted Schnee semblance. Her bloodline only carried her so far among the equally powerful elite. Like her mother before her, Weiss was objectified by the very gender she had been born as. The upper-class not seeing any fault with the way they viewed and treated their women.

It only made matters worse that privileged percentage of the population looked down their noses at her. Weiss Schnee was not only a woman, she was the middle child. she might as well be tossed aside, and forgotten.

"For myself, and for every woman born within my social circle, we're expected to live a certain way. It's just the way things are." Weiss said softly, the malignancy in her voice edging out into mere acceptance. The numbing sort. It always left a bitter taste in her mouth. "I've come to a conclusion of sorts."

Blake smiled at this, tucking her chin into the palm of her hand. "And that would be?"

"The poorer you are in Atlas, the more of a social luxury you have, you see." Weis replied, mirroring Blake as she toyed with the toothpick between her fingers, eyeing the olive skewered to it. "Those sorts of households can't afford to treat women as if we're incapable of holding our own in a workplace. They have to be more, so much more, than just a woman of the house."

"It isn't a luxury though. If they don't get to choose to be that way, it's hardly a privilege. It's survival." Blake said, looking to Weiss with a hint of pity. "I don't think it's something you can really understand unless you've lived in those conditions."

"You speak as if you have…"

"As a huntress, I've had to live a lot of ways that I didn't exactly enjoy." Blake responded, the words heavy on her tongue. "When it comes to terrible living conditions, there were plenty more that I saw, but didn't stay in personally. The people there suffered in their own ways."

"Perhaps." Weiss replied, none too gently biting the olive off of the toothpick. "Either way, forgive me while I envy them."

"So long as you forgive them when they envy you, _hate_ you, for being who you are." Blake shot back, not meaning to sound so harsh. Instantly, she regretted it, and cursed under her breath. An apology was in order. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for."

"No. No, you're…" As much as it pained Weiss to admit it, Blake hit the nail on the head. It was a sickening thought. It was one of the things she liked most about this woman. A single thing in the ever-growing list, was that Blake was not afraid of personal status. She was outspoken enough to say exactly what was on her mind. "You're quite right. I am considered fortunate. In many ways, I wish I wasn't. I may not be poor, but I suffer too."

"Maybe…" Blake allowed, the nearest thing to an agreeance that Weiss would receive.

Still, Weiss was thankful to be given even that little of a consideration. "It's just a different kind of suffering, but it's there all the same."

Her blue-blooded world was drenched in benevolent sexism.

Weiss would have been a fool not to see Blake's point. The writing on the wall was clear as day. It was a blessing to be as well taken care of as Weiss had been. Never wanting for anything, and receiving all she would ever need. It was merely a curse because Weiss wanted to be so much more. She had dreams and aspirations that most considered unimportant.

Weiss had been told time and time again that a woman shouldn't do things that were unrefined and unladylike. She had been told it was burdensome for a woman to be anything other than a docile wife and doting mother. She was told there was no greater pleasure than a successful marriage. She had been reminded that one day, when she married, her husband's dreams and desires should become her own as well. That she should want his success, because that would mean her own.

She was told she would be nothing without a husband. That she would need a man in her life. That it was the right way to live. The only proper way to have a meaningful life.

Weiss lived an unhappy, but lavished life, due to those social norms.

Money was akin to confetti. Her accounts filled frivolously by her father, because men were expected to provide her with the means to live comfortably. Her father penned checks without thinking twice, because that was his duty as a man. To head his household as he saw fit, and as a result, her personal accounts often overflowed with riches most hard-working people would never see a fraction of.

Yet, all of it came at a cost of inequality.

It didn't matter to him that his daughter was an intellectual. Weiss had carefully prepared herself to take over in his place, but that was not enough. He didn't care that she had struggled all of her life, building a reputation on her own merits. Befriending all-too-important business contacts from the ground up. It was not enough that she put every effort in to please him, providing entertainment at social events. It was not enough that she took it upon herself to continue acting as the perfect, adoring, daughter that he sorely needed in front of his clientele.

It. Was. Not. Enough.

None of it.

Her father didn't seem notice any of her efforts.

"I hate to say this, but, my driver should be waiting for me." Weiss said, knowing their time had already dwindled again. The bartender's voice would call out among the music.

"Same time, same place?" Blake asked hopefully.

Weiss could only smirk at that. Could they really persist like this? "You gain nothing from these talks of ours. There must be a better way to spend your time."

"Who says I'm looking for that?" Blake responded gently. "Who says I'm looking for anything other than a way to waste a Friday night?"

Weiss wasn't sure she could truly believe that, but smiled at the sentiment anyway. "Touché. Next week then..."

* * *

The more the heiress and Faunus whittled away their Friday evenings together, the more one thing became abundantly clear.

Weiss could no longer put up with her father's antics. She could no longer live up to his impossibly high standards.

She's lost count of the amount of hours she devoted to the company already. His teachings had been committed to memory. His ideology silently accepted, and wordlessly scrutinized. The pedestal upon which the man stood was precarious. Although, it certainly seemed as if he knew that. It didn't stop him from spitting his brittle words around as if he were a god. He treated the world as his own personal plaything, his interests like a carnival, he, himself, a ringmaster.

It was infuriating, boiling her blood in ways that Weiss would never admit to. Weakness its own kind of scorn. Strength a pompous impossibility.

Whatever one thought of the Schnee family, it really didn't matter. As a family, their politics were strictly conservative. They desperately clung to the privileged one percent of the population. Squeezing whatever they possibly could out of anyone and anything that they might gain benefit from. Yet, even in this, Weiss contrasted sharply with her parents, because while she displayed herself as the epitome of a Schnee, the reality was far from what the media presented.

The truth came out the moment she escaped her family's eyesight, and peeled back her perfect little mask of indifference.

The moment she sat down with Blake and talked about the greater world, life inside of her aristocratic bubble became less and less appealing. It didn't help matters that her father continued to use Weiss as a bargaining chip, luring in prospective young men with an eye for the industry at large.

"That bastard's crossed me for the last time." Weiss groused from between clenched teeth.

"What are you going to do about it?" Blake asked, seeing the slowly simmering rage in those icy blue eyes.

"I don't know." Weiss frowned, licking her lips to wet them. "I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but something must be done about my father's gross mishandling of company funds. That he considers me only a tool for his own personal gain is a side issue, but, one I refuse to take kindly."

Blake's ears perked from beneath her bow, a small smirk quirking her lips upward. "It sounds to me like you could be looking for a bit of revenge."

"I'm not that simpleminded." Weiss sighed with a shake of her head. The idea had crossed her mind, but only briefly. "I want long lasting changes. Moreover, I want the company, just to prove to him that I can take it from him. That I can run it better than he ever dreamed of."

"Sounds like revenge to me." Blake shrugged.

"Call it what you will, I'm finally being pushed to the brink on this." Weiss said, her tone acerbic in her fury. "I have no choice but to do something."

"It's rare that I see you so angry." Blake murmured, eyeing the envelope on the table.

"It's rare that he pushes me too far." Weiss shot back. "There has been times that he's toed the line, but he has never outright crossed them."

Blake wanted to ask what the famed Schnee patriarch did to make Weiss so agitated, but, felt there would be a malicious rant on her hands the moment she tried. Truth be told, she didn't know Weiss very well at all. She only knew what the tabloids told her, and what they shared in generally polite conversation. Blake was far from naive though, she knew this could prove beneficial.

"I have a proposition, for you." The Faunus woman replied. "If we're going to talk about it though, we should do it with a clear head."

"I've thought about this long and hard. I bypassed emotional sentiment long ago." Weiss said primly, her anger as obvious as ever, but it was slowly mixing with something else. Molten determination, the sort Blake knew better than to toy with idly. The dangerous sort indeed. "Besides, I know exactly what you do in your free time, Blake. You've never discussed it, but, a little digging is really all it takes. You don't cover your tracks well at all."

"Could have fooled me." Blake said feeling a little nervous now. Pushing it aside, she looked at Weiss. Really looked at her, searching for the true intentions behind all of that anger.

Weiss glared at Blake, the two of them holding their gazes. Over time, Weiss could see it. There it was, fighting to get out. That irritatingly sexy smirk. Subdued in Blake's expression, but lingering there all the same. It was as if Blake knew exactly what Weiss was thinking. As if she could just feel the years of bottled down rage bubbling within. "I want to make this abundantly clear right here and now. Even if I do give you everything I have on my father's misdeeds, it would not be enough to stop him."

"If you know of my hobbies, then you know that I've been working to expose the atrocities of the SDC for years now. Some parts of the dust industry are worse than others, I'll give it that, but the mines are inexcusable. In time, the evidence will be enough, it has to be." Blake promised, the resolve in her voice steadfast and honest. "I've laid out all the ground work on my end, I just need a little more prep work."

"You shouldn't be so sure of that." Weiss said softly as she toyed with her dry martini. Was it her third, or her forth? Weiss wasn't sure. She held her liquor well, but even she began to blur the lines as the hours drifted on by. "You'll need more than what you have."

"How could you possibly know that?" Blake asked slowly.

"As I've said, I've been digging too." It was as much as Weiss was willing to say, but it was all that she needed to.

"We have medical reports and testimonies from some of the miners. We have a couple of photographs and some footage too." The woman across from her began. "We'll be gathering more in the coming weeks. I'm going to do the best I can to expose the company for all that it is. The good, and the bad. If you have anything to help me do that…"

"Oh, trust me, I have more than you know."

"Then, I'd just need you to trust me with everything you have too, and then I know I'll be getting somewhere."

"I know you believe that, but you don't understand the kind of power my father truly has." Weiss said, her voice low. Now that her temper had cooled slightly, she could see what Blake was trying to do. On some level, Weiss even found it amusing, but she knew that the Faunus wouldn't succeed. Not like this. "Listen to me carefully, you will have one chance, Blake. One opportunity, and it would need to be perfect. You would not live long enough to get a second opportunity."

"You're saying I might be killed?"

"My father would certainly try."

"I don't think it would come to that. I'm being as careful as I can be." Blake replied. "I've been working on this for years, and no one has confronted me about it."

"I've been doing my best too, but it doesn't get me very far at all." Weiss shot back. "He holds influence over the government. James Ironwood eats out of his hand. The SDC has influence that goes beyond the Schnee family. The corrupt board members do their parts too."

"That's only because of your dad's dirty money. His practices are abysmal, and everyone really hates it. Corporate blackmail is a crime. We have plenty of evidence of what he's doing." Blake spoke coolly. "We just need the paperwork you have to back it all up."

"That means nothing. A few complaints are hardly enough to prove what goes on in the dust mines. Besides, very few would classify whipping Faunus as illegal." Weiss chided softly. "Even if they did, what good would it do? Truly, if all you intend to do is further expose the Faunus plight, you won't change a thing."

"I believe I will."

"You won't even make a dent." Weiss told the woman, pity in her voice. "Blake, the upper-class couldn't possibly care about the matter. Faunus abuse is a known issue, but you know how the saying goes. Out of sight, out of mind."

"Call me vindictive, but I'd still like to try."

"To what end?" Weiss asked pointedly, tipping back the rest of the clear as crystal drink in her hand. "The inequality between humans and Faunus is hardly enough to spark controversy. Most of it will likely be swept under the rug, so to speak."

"That's the worst kind of racism, don't you think?" The Faunus said then, her voice low among the softly playing piano. "The kind you don't see, that's the sort that does the most damage. When humans see nothing wrong, how are they to know the truth? How are they to comprehend the ramifications of what goes on in those mines?"

"They don't, and that's the point."

"They won't unless someone brings it to their attention. Someone has to speak out, people need to see the truth in order to believe it."

"Even if you were to tell them, guilt is a strange sort sin." Weiss replied with a slow shake of her head. She knew that kind of guilt well. It was steeped in every bit of her upbringing, and every ounce of her own heritage. "If bluebloods are good at one thing, it's offering meaningless platitudes. They would appease the greater population in small ways, just like they always have. Once again, you'd lose your chance. Trust me, I know all too well."

Weiss knew exactly what her father would do. His falsehoods and empty promises were kept on notecards for just such a circumstance. He could have a press conference within an hour of any media backlash. She had been raised by his cunning ways, deception forging her into the skeptic she was today. Love was hard to come by, but guilty kindness? Abusive tendencies buried under bribes?

That was easy to offer to a child, almost too easy.

"I know how he plays his games. I've seen the kind of man my father can be. It would be best if you forgot about the Faunus plight. It's easier to leave the matter buried." Weiss told Blake pointedly. "I can see it in your eyes. You don't have all the ammunition you need against him. You aren't ready, you're desperate. That's a very different thing."

"You're not scared, are you?" Blake asked. She hadn't known Weiss for very long, but she liked to think they shared some level of friendship. "This can be mutually beneficial for both of us."

"Still, you must look at it from my perspective too. Turning a blind eye is easier than it is to try and fix the problem. The populous will just sweep the matter under the rug like they always do, going back to their blissfully ignorant lives. It's easier to be a cog in the constantly running machine, than it is to rebel against it." Then she leaned closer, her voice growing softer still. "Besides, Blake, for me, this is strictly a family problem."

"Family issue or not, what you're father's doing has a name. It goes beyond just abuse and illegal activities. That's why it's called inhumane design. Atlesian social systems are made to be oppressive." The Faunus paused then, leaning forward so that her eyes glimmered in the soft candle light. "If the people realized what half of the systems in place were really for, and what they were meant to really do, they'd be sick."

Weiss bit the inside of her cheek.

Why was she so taken with this Faunus? Why did she want to listen to every little thing Blake had to say? It wasn't just the dry martini that felt intoxicating, it was the way Blake spoke. The resolve in her voice. The way her dreams clung to each and every word. It was so alluring, Weiss had no idea what to do with any of it. Those beautiful amber eyes held a light in their depths, seeing a future that Weiss could not. Holding impossibilities aloft, because Blake truly believed changes could happen.

It was all too good to be true.

"I think you give the people too much credit." Weiss admitted. "I think you're setting yourself up to be hurt, Blake."

"Maybe, but then aren't you doing the same?" Blake said in a way that lacked any accusation. It was an honest question. "Won't it hurt you more? If this got out, and you didn't really want it to, wouldn't it put you at risk?"

Weiss let her eyes drift down to the table. That folder still sitting under the palm of one of her hands. "Obviously." Weiss said then. "That's why I hesitate. I may not like him, but, this is my father that we're discussing. There's that bond, complicated though it may be. He might have pushed me to the brink. He may have crossed my temper one too many times, but those are my issues. They have nothing to do with you, or with Faunus."

"You don't agree with him then, do you?"

"No, I don't agree." Weiss bit out. "However, I don't have to agree."

"Let me give you some more food for thought, then. Think about it all of the little things you probably don't notice. Inhumane design is in everything, from the food stalls on the streets, right down to the architecture. It's disgusting what a few minor tweaks to a building can do to a Faunus's senses. Lights that are too bright, sounds that are too loud, pungent odors that overpower pleasant scents." Blake frowned as she ticked them off on her fingers. She could have kept going, but chose to stop. "That's just what I notice, but don't think that this mindset doesn't extend to humans too, because it does."

"The humans are of a privileged class."

"So you think."

"It's commonly agreed upon fact."

The Faunus scoffed at this, leaning back in her chair, her ears under her bow folding back as the chair creaked. Blue eyes watched the bow concealing the appendages crumple, and the Faunus activist known as Blake Belladonna only smirked darkly at her sinister implication. "Faunus are my top priority, I don't argue my loyalties. That doesn't change that fact that socioeconomic conditions shape all of Remnant for better and worse. In Atlas, the poor humans are no better off than Faunus. The inhumane design extends to them too."

"In what way?" Weiss asked.

The Faunus in front of her raised a brow. "Ever see a park bench slanted ever so slightly in the garden districts?"

"Once or twice." The white haired woman admitted. "We pride ourselves on our décor."

"The indoor gardens are heated. It's one of the few warm community places away from the bitter chill." The Faunus woman said, her voice gaining an edge to it, sharp enough to slice through the withdrawn socialite. "This may be a shock to you, but the benches are slanted that way so that the homeless people can't sleep on them. It's not just about how they look, it's what they prevent. It might look pretty, Weiss, but it still has a sinister design quality to it."

Weiss frowned openly, about to voice a rebuttal before she stopped herself. She looked to Blake, and then down again at that blasted folder. The contents inside would deal a massive blow to her father's company. Moreover, it would harm the people who continued to fund these atrocities in Atlas. "Listen, I sympathize, I do. Maybe it's only my upbringing that leads me to say this, but I feel that the homeless should not be in the parks to begin with. The homeless should be in shelters, where they belong."

"Have you ever been to one? Conditions in those buildings are generally overcrowded. Public health standards remain abysmal, illness spreads quickly." The Faunus explained, her fingers drumming atop the polished wood between them. "Those shelters put a Band-Aid over the real issue. A lack of jobs, terrible healthcare, poor education, and a minimum wage that hardly covers the cost of living. If you're a Faunus, you're living with your family. That's the only way to make ends meet."

"You don't live that way." Weiss pointed out.

"Because I'm lucky, but I've seen the life I could have lived instead. I know people who live the way I'm describing." Blake protested, keeping her voice hushed. "Small apartments become fire hazards when you pack people in like sardines. Health code violations stack up, buildings close down, and hundreds of Faunus are displaced from what little they can afford. Humans and Faunus both end up on the street when things like that happen."

"You'll forgive me if I remain unconvinced that humans would face the same issue." It wasn't that Weiss didn't sympathize, but, that she still wasn't exactly sure she agreed with the woman across from her.

"They do. You just don't allow yourself to see it." The Faunus seemed to notice this, eyes narrowing, trying to gauge what Weiss might be thinking. Why she looked so interested one moment, and then withdrawn the next. "You don't trust me, do you?"

"Frankly, not entirely. I wish I did, but I don't." Weiss replied. "These documents that I have collected pose a great threat to my family. They suggest atrocities that could insult some of our wealthiest family friends. If I decide to leak what I know to the public, my father isn't the only one who will be called into question. Surely, you can understand that."

The bartender spoke out, and alas it was last call once again. Both women looked at each other, but it was Blake who caved.

"Think about it. Really think about it." The Faunus took a breath. "If you want to make a difference, then those risks will be ones that you'll have to take."

* * *

Next Friday came faster than Weiss wanted it to.

Weiss could feel the tangible air of urgency, as once again, they spoke more of business than of pleasure. She felt the way Blake eyed her, begging to be understood. She wanted that envelope. The Faunus obviously thought that the pages kept inside would give all of the details Blake would ever need. Weiss knew that was only wishful thinking, but the woman beside her was so sure of herself.

That cocky attitude would get her killed, Weiss was sure of it.

Yet beneath that exterior was a deep desire to do the right thing. To make a difference worth mentioning, and Weiss couldn't help but be taken away by the heart and soul of it all. By Blake's own admission, Faunus were her priority, but, that didn't mean she wasn't keeping an eye on the poor humans too.

"It's not that I don't want to help you." The white haired woman murmured slowly, feeling her hesitation crack like glass. "As you said, this arrangement could prove beneficial to the both of us if I play my cards correctly." Weiss replied softly, pausing to order another drink when a waitress passed by. "The issue I have, is that even if I could promise you drastic results, you cannot not promise my safety."

"You believe you will be in danger?"

"I doubt it, but I'm not the sort of person to act recklessly. I might be trying to do the right thing here, but I must proceed with caution." Weiss didn't dare explain that she thought her Father might lash out, but she had hoped that fact would have been obvious from the start. She looked at Blake, locking eyes again, cold blue meeting with that molten amber gaze that so attracted her. "Besides, I'm a Schnee too. I could be considered just as guilty in the eyes of the public."

Blake expected to have to fight hard to get what she wanted, and she nodded swiftly. "If you want protection from bodily harm, I can provide that."

"And how, exactly, would you go about doing that?" Weiss asked.

"I'm a trained huntress, you know that. I'd protect you myself." Blake said simply. "It's the only way I'd be able to quietly work from the shadows."

Weiss thought on this new, strange proposal.

It was as though she had just found her perfect excuse to get closer to this infuriatingly gorgeous woman. All she would have to do was reach for the preverbal apple, not unlike a woman from scriptures reaching for a forbidden fruit. Yet, it wasn't the succulently sweet taste that the well-to-do woman wanted. No, what Weiss desires more than anything else, was something more abstract.

She licked her lips thoughtfully, taken by the offer placed before her.

Weiss had done her own research into this woman, knew well who Blake was, and what her motivations were. She had never expected to receive such an offer. It was obviously flippant and foolhardy. Weiss felt that she would have to be an idiot to accept it. She swallowed hard at the implication.

"That would require me to spend quite a bit of time with you." Weiss said. In spite of the obvious mistake that it would be, the slap to her father's ego was a delicious idea.

"You would, yes. If you wanted my protection." Blake agreed softly. Her own drink had run dry long ago, her side of the table clear of any beverages. Her mouth was dryer than she'd like as a result, tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth as she contemplated just what she'd gotten herself into. "I can't promise it would be enough, either."

"I'd prefer to live in comfort. I have a loft, and it's guarded particularly well." Weiss said then, having come to her own conclusion about the matter. "I would want to stay there while sorting the press and legalities out. That being said, the guards are staffed by the SDC, and I might question the loyalties of those with hefty paychecks."

"You think they would assassinate you?"

"No, they're not that stupid. Turning a blind eye to an intruder, however…" Weiss trailed off.

"Say no more." Blake nodded. "I understand."

"Furthermore, I have to consider my own social standing. Pulling the rug out from my father's feet doesn't do me any good if I'm seen the same way as him. Having a Faunus accompany around town would absolve me of a great many family sins. It might even soften the blow to the Schnee family name if the press obtained a little bit of gossip to speculate on. Nothing overt, mind you, merely implication. I'm sure you understand."

"This is starting to sound a lot less like protection detail. It seems you're also looking for an escort." Blake replied carefully. "I'm not quite sure how I feel about that."

"Consider it both, if you must." Weiss sighed airily. "You're asking a great deal of me, I don't think it's unfair to ask the same in return."

It was with great reluctance that Blake agreed to the terms, feeling an unusual spark of awkwardness as they shook hands. Perhaps it was because through all of her dealings with Weiss Schnee, the two had never before touched. Not even in the slightest. The white haired woman kept her distance to the best of her ability. Due to this, Blake had always felt as though Weiss had a distaste for Faunus in general, living up to the standards of her social class.

After all, just because Weiss didn't agree with the social injustices clouding over Faunus as a race, it didn't mean that she had to like them.

Yet this handshake felt different to Blake somehow. A little more firm than it needed to be. A little longer than it should be. That subtle feeling of a wayward thumb sliding softly over the back of her hand. All of it seemed strange, or at the very least, something Weiss wouldn't do among normal company.

Still, with a list of incriminating documents hers for the taking, Blake couldn't complain.

All she had to do now, was get them out to the right people. She would disperse the information in batches, making sure that each of her contacts knew exactly what to do with it. Instead of having the whole thing come out in one massive article, her contacts would seep the information to the press slowly. Their own stories backing up the claims made previously by terminated SDC employees.

The expunged records that Weiss had in her possession was just icing on the cake.

It would take months for the press to put all of the pieces together, but during that time, Blake would protect Weiss, just like she had promised.

* * *

The plan lay on a slow simmer. All of Blake's contacts had exactly what they needed to get the ball rolling. Weiss had told her father that she was taking a break from shadowing him at the company, choosing to focus on her family's extensive charity work.

Now it was up to time and opportunity.

The first thing Weiss had to do was introduce her new bodyguard to her father. The Faunus wasn't looking forward to it, but had agreed that it was unavoidable. Blake reluctantly saw the similarities between parent and child the moment she stepped into the man's office. Jacques was shorter than Blake expected, as if his ego was compensation for his thin appearance.

It was rumored that he dyed his hair white to match with the rest of the family. That although he was atlesian, he didn't carry a bloodline of puritan ancestry.

The painted image that sat behind him implied that it might be true. The family had many photos of themselves gathered together, there were even paintings done by some famous artists. Each piece worth a small fortune for its originality. Blake knew her gaze lingered on them for too long, but honestly, it was a sight she had never expected to see in all of her life.

She glanced back to the living, breathing man in question.

Men and women of notable atlesian bloodlines grayed early. Those of the truly purest blood turned white well before their adulthood. Some were even born with the alabaster coloring from the start. It was the purest shroud, or so the people often said. If he did dye his hair, it was only further proof of the things he sullied just by his mere existence. Even though it was often argued that there wasn't such a thing as true atlesian blood anymore, the social elite refuted the claim at every chance.

They clutched onto the notion of pure bloodlines with pretentious pride.

Blake looked to this man who tented his fingers and glared at her, feeling as though he was one such person. That he probably thought anyone lesser that a socialite wasn't worth even a fraction of his time. Upon introducing herself, Blake turned to stand quietly by the door, noting the small flicker of ire in his perfectly blue eyes.

"A Faunus bodyguard, Weiss?" The Schnee family patriarch balked.

"A personal attendant." Weiss replied.

"What is the reason behind this decision? I would hope you've come up with a good one."

"It occurred to me that I should hire someone of my own, rather than troubling your staff all the time."

"Indeed." He said, having expected that to eventually come up.

"I'd be inclined to agree _if_ she were not a Faunus."

"I've already seen to all of the arrangements. She will be undertaking any and all duties I require of her." Weiss said primly, gesturing to the Faunus in question as though she were showing off one of her father's race hounds. Dog racing a well respected sport that her father often dabbled in. "I live in a small apartment, a full staff would be just too much. Yet, I do require someone able to provide those services when the need arises from time to time. Blake Belladonna may be a Faunus, but, she has the qualifications I need."

"You went ahead and hired her without my approval. I don't like that kind of ambiguity out of you, Weiss. You know your place, and I feel it would be best if you did your utmost to honor my commands as I give them." His lips crinkled as he said this, looking as if he wanted to vomit at the mere thought of a Faunus parading around anywhere near his family. "This flea bag was the absolute best you could find? I doubt that."

"I didn't think you'd mind." She replied casually in the face of his disgust. "Grandfather, employed them for years."

"A practice I proudly did away with." He said sternly.

"All things being equal, Faunus are more equipped to deal with dangerous situations. The fact that they're expendable only adds to their charm." It was then she glanced over her shoulder, eyeing the woman standing at the door respectfully. To her credit, Blake seemed calm and placid, which must have been very difficult in the face of such a bigot. She hoped Blake's composure would continue, but knew she would have to hurry this exchange along. "As you can see, with her bow on no one can tell for sure that she _is_ a Faunus, allowing her to have the advantage."

The man frowned, nodding slowly. "I'll grant you that. Even so, we spare no expense when it comes to our protection, Weiss. That includes the lives of those who serve us. They would not be our esteemed bodyguards if they didn't offer their lives as collateral damage."

"Yes, but when a human dies, Father, we have families to disappoint." Weiss gestured to the Faunus in question. "Her parents are in Menagerie, and hardly within our window of concern. She's a certified huntress, but even our lowest salaried hunters still receive more than a Faunus scrounging around for a mission here or there. She has no reason not to be loyal. Her background checks have come back as one would expect of them."

"I still do not see the need for this scoundrel to follow you absolutely everywhere."

"Consider it a future investment. Vacuo and Vale have made it difficult to acquire land on foreign soil. They think the way Atlas handles the treatment of Faunus should be outlawed. Wouldn't they be surprised to see a Faunus in such a coveted position? It might smooth over a few particularly vocal adversaries of yours."

"While I agree with your intentions, I doubt you understand just how deep their meddling goes." The man in front of her replied acidly. "They'd expect far more of our leniency than we'd ever be willing to provide."

"Perhaps, but isn't that the beauty of it. You reap the rewards with very little cost to your own sanity. She'd be my burden, not yours." Weiss said slowly. "My social affairs are founded primarily in charity work. I'm used to dealing with Faunus to maintain our international image. In the eyes of the public, I'm just a woman with too big of a heart, bleeding for any soul I can help in the slightest. It's the way we crafted my image to be, after all."

"I still think you do not realize the magnitude of inconvenience it would be."

"You know that, and I know that, but the greater public would be swayed by the thought of it. Consider this yet another form of my unending desire for charity work. Surely those that matter would see it the same way. Those that don't matter aren't of any true consequence to us…" Weiss trailed off, glancing back to Blake one last time. "If anything, we might gain a bit of Faunus appreciation for this action. It might even cool the tempers of those that demean our practices."

"We also stand to lose face if she were ever to make a misstep. She's not a cat or a dog. she's a Faunus, they have intellect and spoken word at their disposal. That's a dangerous thing for any animal to have."

"I would expect any fallout to fall entirely on me." Weiss said, holding her hands respectfully at her sides.

"It would reflect poorly on me. I am your father Weiss, your actions fall onto me. You would be less burdensome if you simply settled down and fund a husband."

"If you will not allow me to take my place as head of this company, then you must at least grant me some measure of freedom when it comes to our family's charity endeavors. The women of the Schnee family have always had influence over the matter. If I am to take my proper place like my mother before me, I must be granted the freedom to work within those confines as I see fit." Weiss sighed at length. "I realize that I'm asking you to act in good faith, but we both have the family image in mind. That will never change."

It was the truth, too. She didn't agree with her father, but her family's image was something she held very close to her heart. She wanted it to remain victorious in the face of adversity. Two sets of blue eyes squared off, their impressive glares acting as a silent war between them. Both opponents studying the other. In truth it was a formality, Weiss was an adult, and she was free to do as she wished. This appeal to her father was only to please him, as she always tried to do.

Even so, this was one time she would willingly defy him openly. He seemed to notice that.

"Fine, fine, have it your way." He muttered disdainfully as he looked at the Faunus by the door. "Just keep that flea-bitten animal away from me, and out of my sight."

Weiss agreed with all of the decorum she had at her disposal, taking her leave with the poise and elegance expected if her. Each footfall happened at her leisure. Blake opened the door for her, allowing Weiss to step out. The Faunus followed quietly behind her. They'd played their cards well, but Blake still felt her flesh crawl under the sordid implications. Weiss certainly seemed every bit the bigot her father was when locked within that terrible office.

Suddenly, Blake felt the nagging suspicion that this would be more difficult that she first assumed.

* * *

Without idle conversation they left the imposing family mansion and climbed into the elegant limo. Weiss ordered the driver to take them back to her residence, and closed the tinted privacy window before sighing at great length.

"A martini, dry." She said, rubbing the sides of her forehead small circles. "It's only in these recent few years that I fully understand why my mother was driven to drink." She opened her eyes, seeing that the Faunus had not moved. "Blake." She said again. "I asked you to make me a martini."

The cat Faunus gave Weiss a look. "Yes, of course ma'am." As she opened the panel to the beverage cabinet she studied every nook and cranny. She knew how to make one, but was slow to do so as she glanced across the small divide between them. "Bugs?" She mouthed without a sound.

The white haired woman nodded, her voice just as silent. "Yes." Then with a clearing of her throat she pressed a small button that turned on the music. Classical piano melodies wafting in from the speaker helped to ease her nerves. Seeing Blake flatten her ears, Weiss lowered the volume just a fraction to take the edge off. The Faunus said nothing, but seemed grateful.

With the martini prepared, they settled in for the ride across town. The two of them lost in their own thought. Neither one of them saying a single word.

Very few Faunus were allowed in the garden districts. Most of them would never be able to afford an apartment, let alone a home. The price for this lavished style of living sucked away the paychecks of the upper-middle class like a drain. In return for the exorbitant prices, five star establishments peppered the boulevard and shopping centers catered to the perfectionist ideology of their patrons. People who were obviously hired help and household staff carried grocery bags, and parking lots were made to service limo drivers.

All of it was too much to take in, and yet, Blake watched it all from the car window. She was amazed that this lifestyle could even take place at all. Inwardly, she felt a little bit ill. It was mindboggling that anyone would choose to live like this while the poor starved in the streets.

For a Faunus, Blake liked to think she lived a privileged life. She had never gone cold, or felt the pangs of hunger clawing at her gut. The rent at her own apartment was affordable, and while the décor was sparse, the location was relatively safe. Shops were affordable, the nightlife interesting. She was one of the few that had very little to complain about, her own reputation among the community was enough to elevate her to a status of importance among other Faunus.

Never before had she realized just how much money lined the pockets of the particularly rich and famous. All of it seemed so dismal. All of it was flamboyant luxury, a waste of money better used elsewhere.

The moment they arrived in front of the apartment building Weiss lived in, the shift in status was obvious. The entry into the building looked more like a resort than a place people called home. The penthouse apartment on the top floor was what Weiss owned, and even it surpassed the expectations the Faunus had thought to be realistic. She could do no more than open the door to the panoramic view around them, the sights of the city extending far and wide.

This was one of the tallest buildings in the area, and it showed.

With a single suitcase containing everything Blake thought she would need in one hand, and the sight in front of her, it was hard to forget that Weiss actually lived here.

"It's not what you were expecting, is it?" Weiss asked softly as she pushed single touchpad. A tiny beep emitted from the panel, and the living room lights flicked on. "We can speak freely here, unlike my father's limo, my apartment doesn't have any monitoring devices of any kind."

"No." Blake breathed before clearing her throat. "No, it's not. I can't believe you actually live here."

"It's actually the least expensive property I looked at. If you want me to be perfectly honest, this is the cheapest apartment building my father would allow me to reside in. anything less would be beneath us, or so he actually claimed." She smiled sadly at the look Blake gave her, before brushing it all aside. "If you follow me, I'll show you to your room."

Weiss tiled her head in invitation walking through the spacious living area and open kitchen. Everything had been done by an interior decorator, and the choices showed. They headed towards the back of the apartment where the first bathroom door was. Directly after was a storage closet, followed by a moderately sized office. Finally, two bedrooms and a small reading nook completed the space. The door to the master bedroom was closed, but Blake found her door wide open.

The furnishings luxurious, but sparing compared to the rest of the house.

"I think you'll find this to your liking, but if you do end up needing something, there are shops on the boulevard."

Hefting her suitcase onto the queen sized been, Blake paused, her keen gaze catching the bustling city down below. "Tell me something. If you live like this, why jeopardize it?"

"That's a good question. I wish I had a proper explanation. To put it simply, I hate complacency. " For a short while, Weiss said nothing as she leaned on the door frame, her eyes drifting to the grey wood flooring, and the light blue rug that sat across it. "I find that I don't like being complicit in my family's company and the current direction it seems to be taking. To me, it's no different than having blood on my hands."

"Objectively, it doesn't seem as though he's giving you a choice." Blake said then. "You've always said that he was overbearing, but…well, I don't know what I was expecting."

"There are details I haven't given you. One's that I found too personal. I'm sure some of them would make it seem like even I'm irredeemable."

"You really should use everything you have at your disposal. If there's anything else, you should use it while you can."

Weiss knew that Blake was correct, but remaining tight lipped seemed to be the best action. "Some things are best left unsaid." It was with a forced breath and a step back that she offered a small smile. "I'll let you unpack and get settled in. This arrangement will be lasting for quite some time, I'd imagine, so be sure to let me know if there's anything you'll need."

Upon reflection, it was a situation of opportunity.

No more, less.

It didn't need to be anything else, either.

Both women seemed to hold fast to that simple logic as they parted ways. Blake to unpack, Weiss to wander back into the living room.

It had been a cold, stormy Friday night when they'd crossed paths at that a small piano bar. Blake fondly remembered that night. It was one of the few establishments that allowed both human and Faunus patrons, so it made sense that humans and Faunus alike cluttered the bar stools and small circular tables. Both women had gone there for one reason, and one reason only. To indulge in their favorite drink as a form of escapism.

Blake couldn't remember why she even wanted to talk to Weiss. Only that, for reasons lost to her now, she wanted those blue eyes to look her way. To share an unspoken conversation from across the length of the bar. It had been a compelling enough exchange, because the next thing she knew, Blake was buying Weiss a drink. It was completely idiotic if she really took the time to put it into perspective.

Weiss didn't need money, she didn't need anyone to buy her a few drinks. She had everything she could ever need.

As Blake remembered it looking back, both were too drunk to care that they were sitting side by side, chatting idly. Blake couldn't rehash the particular details of that night, but she distinctly recalled the stabbing hangover the next day. Spending over half of the morning spewing her guts out had been punishment enough for drinking so much.

Still, it didn't keep her out of the bar, and she returned the following Friday.

Just like always, that beautiful Atlesian woman had been there drinking again. That time when Blake had struck up a conversation, she'd been sober, and Weiss still had her common sense. The two shared even more idle banter, complaints about the world, drinks, and to some extent even traded ideologies. They agreed to meet the Friday after that, and the next after that, a pattern emerging from the ashes of it all.

Neither expected more, and both assumed one day that they'd receive less. Over time, the routine had become a gratifying one.

It was only after several months that they confided in each other. Talking about the problems plaguing their respective lives. The SDC sat at the root of it all. Their reasons were different, but their goal was the same. Carefully and methodically, they wanted to remove the current CEO from power. Weaken the company so completely, so that it had no hope but to restructure itself in a timely manner. It seemed like a fine idea in theory, but, neither one of them had truly considered the lengths they would need to go to get it done.

Their goal was lofty, and seemingly impossible.

Blake had unpacked her bags and made the room around her feel more like home. It was where she was going to be staying for the time being, and she at least wanted a few familiar scents wafting around in a space that wasn't truly hers. The bedsheets were made of silk, and the pillow cases were made of soft cotton. The pillows themselves were stuffed with feathers. It was everything she could have wanted, but one thing she noticed was that the apartment was quiet.

Blake had expected the noise that came along with sharing a space with another, but there was none.

No drone of a television or radio, no clanking of dishes from the kitchen. Nothing at all. More than a little surprised by that, Blake exited her room and walked back down the narrow hallway. Weiss was sitting in one of the leather armchairs in the living room. Legs crossed and martini glass in hand, she silently sat there sipping on her drink while watching the skyline.

"If this is your usual afternoon, no wonder you're miserable." Blake said, startling the shorter woman, blue eyes scrunching violently as she filched.

Weiss looked down at the glass in hand. Then with a tiny shrug, she smirked in a way that promised dark humor. "Alcoholism runs in the family. It's in the blood."

"If it consumes a person, it's a filthy habit to have."

"I have my dirty little skeletons hidden away, just like everyone else." Weiss replied, setting down her empty glass onto a silver platter. "For the record, I don't make a habit of just sitting here, drinking my life away. That's usually reserved for our Friday evenings together."

"Then, why drink now?"

"Contemplation."

"You look lost."

Weiss shrugged again. "I'm just thinking about things in a more tangible way. The first wave of accusations will be going out to the public this week, but they're only minor grievances. Hardly something my father would truly trifle over. Even though I'm sure of that, I keep thinking about all of the possible ways it could go wrong."

"That's why we're moving slowly, so that it can't be traced back to you. That was what you wanted, right?"

"Yes, it was…" Weiss murmured, her voice wavering, as if she was unsure of everything now that there was no turning back. She cleared her throat before standing from her chair to walk towards the window, looking down to the people below. "I still believe caution to be the best method to this madness." Perhaps it was the martini flowing through her system, or the weight of her family's name on her mind. Whatever the cause, she wasn't sure, but she felt compelled to give voice to her thoughts. "You agreed to act as my companion of sorts to help with my personal image." Weiss began slowly. "You didn't have to do that, Blake. You could have said no."

"So?" The Faunus asked softly.

"I would have given you the documents if we had come to some other compromise."

"I know that."

"Then why did you agree, Blake?" Weiss asked thoughtfully. "It might do wonders to help my personal image if Faunus see me walk around with you, but it'll be damaging to yours."

"You assume I have an image to maintain at all." Blake laughed as she took a few steps forward, leaning on the wall nearby.

"The Belladonna family name is prestigious in its own way." Weiss turned to glance at Blake then. "We don't talk about it, but I've looked into you. I know what the Belladonna name means, the writings on the wall. You stand in your father's shadow, just like I stand in mine."

"My dad, he's truly a great man." Blake told Weiss with a genuine smile. "You should see him at a rally one day. He just gets up there on stage, walks in front of the podium, and he talks like it's nothing. I've seen him do it, hushing thousands of Faunus with a single word. You can't compare me to someone like that."

"Not yet, perhaps. One day though, you will be compared to him, and you're smart enough to know that." Weiss said. "Walk around with me long enough, you'll get a reputation for dealing with a Schnee. Most Faunus worldwide wouldn't be able to stomach that, let alone atlesian Faunus in compromising situations."

"Weiss, I work in one of the largest dust mills that Atlas has to offer." Blake said, shoving a hand into her pocket. "I'm a cog in a machine. You're in the spotlight, you're the one that'll take the most media backlash from any of this. I probably won't even be noticed at all."

"You can't really believe that…" At this, Weiss actually laughed, placing a hand on the chilled window. "You really are that daft, aren't you? You think you'll slip by, that people _won't_ catch on." Her breath fogged the glass, the puffs of air making a tiny circle of uncertainty among the crystal clarity. Her thumb pressed across it, squealing slightly for that brief moment, enough to make the Faunus flatten her ears slightly at the sound.

"They will, but I think it'll be a matter of degree." Blake said as her ears righted themselves. "You're the interesting person to slander. I'm just a Faunus. I'd be willing to bet most humans think I have rabies." All Faunus had been met with one such insult or another in their lives, and Blake was no stranger to the bigoted onslaught.

Weiss turned to face her, and there was something deep in those blue eyes, something inexplicable. It was the second time in one day that Blake had noticed that wordless emotion on the woman's features.

"What…?" The Faunus murmured.

"It's nothing…" Her expression and her words at odds, the contradiction interesting to say the least. "We should be going, we have preparations to make, and dinner to retrieve if we want to eat tonight. I don't keep my kitchen stocked, since I rarely cook."

"Right now?"

Weiss shook nodded. "Of course. You should be wearing proper formal attire. Something to make you look the part of an aristocrat's hired help."

Blake looked down at her clothing. A pair of black slacks and a button down white shirt that was tucked in, and a black vest over the top of that. It was hardly an expensive outfit, but it wasn't off the clearance rack, either. "What's wrong with what I've got on?" Blake asked. "We're not going to be doing anything too crazy, are we?"

"I have an image to maintain, and a regular business schedule to keep. Technically you're on the books, so you will be receiving a salary. Therefore, it's imperative that you look the part."

"Wait, I've already got a job, Weiss."

"I bought that out when we decided to go along with all of this." The white haired woman replied. "You're a certified huntress, a thirty thousand lien a year contract is chump change, not to mention an insult. We buy out contracts four hundreds of thousands of lien a year without batting an eye. Even a newly hired huntress working under the SDC taking regular missions would see double that, plus complete coverage on all medical care. Their life insurance policies are nothing to scoff at either, although given the nature of the missions they receive, that's hardly a surprise."

"Those huntresses would be human. The pay would be very different for any Faunus trying to do the exact same job." Blake would know, she'd try to make her way as a huntress, only to fail. "A Faunus huntress can't sustain in Atlas without joining the military, and that's practically a death sentence."

"I thought we agreed that the working conditions for Faunus were abysmal, and that as a population, your wages were not commiserate with the standard cost of living." The woman shot back. "I recall you speaking at length several times on that matter."

"I still stand by that." Blake replied. "We don't even get proper healthcare or insurance policies."

"Klein, my family's butler, sees eighty thousand lien a year. His room and housing provided by the family." In this Weiss was sure, she had seen the accounts herself, and knew exactly what he was being paid. "Mind you, he is more than a mere butler, and he sees to a great many duties that my father would never entrust to anyone else. His pay reflects that."

"A Faunus would never see those kinds of numbers, Weiss."

"Regardless, I wasn't joking about hiring you on as my bodyguard. You're being paid the same wage as Klein now, eighty thousand lien yearly. This will mean that you will be undertaking all of the duties I spoke of to my father, and more. That part wasn't a lie, but rather, pure fact."

"Eighty thousand lien…" Blake felt her legs go weak as she leaned heavily against the wall. "You've got to be kidding." She didn't have a clue what she was going to be able to do with that kind of money. It had never been within her means.

"I'm far from it." Weiss replied airily. "But, you will be working for every single piece of lien, make no mistake about it. What you do with it, however, is entirely up to you. Even if this only lasts for a short while, I won't have it said that I've mistreated you in any way. You'll be paid your due..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Family's Mystery**

Dressed for the chill known to the northern climate, they headed out on foot.

The streets were carefully clear of snow and ice. Grounds keepers spending every bit of energy to clean the unsightly dust riddled snow that caked the sides of the streets and pathways. Small bits of sidewalk salt crunched underfoot to further clean the walkways. Warming stations and roadside barista stalls offered hot drinks to keep the chilly weather at bay.

Weiss ordered a coffee, while Blake ordered tea. Unsurprisingly, Blake murmured that it was overpriced, but Weiss didn't even look at the menu for the price, handing over her credit card without a care how expensive it might be. It was the same thing she did at the downtown piano bar.

They stopped at one of the smattering of greenhouses in the area. Some housed playground equipment, while others catered to the docile elderly looking for a peaceful place to sit. Some even housed exotic birds native to other areas around Remnant. This one provided a newsstand inside among the foliage and several places to sit and read. Once again that credit card came out, and once again, Blake cringed at the expenditure.

Weiss walked past several of establishments of refinery, but didn't even bat an eye in their direction. Meanwhile, Blake felt herself captivated by the shimmery jewelry stores, stones catching the sunlight perfectly. Gems twinkling from behind protective glass and colored lightbulbs. Obscenely expensive dress shops only added to the crazy implication that some people actually chose to live this way. The Faunus managed to catch a price tag attached to one vibrantly green prom dress.

It might have been made for a wealthy student, but she thought the price was absolutely crazy. Worse yet, there was a partner tuxedo, the suit itself a perfect midnight black. The viridian green gemstone cufflinks and matching tie was what brought the partnered ensemble together. She regretted glancing at it, feeling her stomach turn as the cardboard with the exorbitantly priced six digit number dangled limply from the magnificent fabric.

"Who in the hell buys this stuff?" Blake found herself murmuring, quite to her own displeasure. The sound of the shop's bell rang out as a few teenagers entered. Blake couldn't keep herself form gawking even if she tried.

Weiss turned back, taking a glance at Blake. Seeing quickly what amber eyes were so keen to scrutinize, smiling softly as the affluent world once again caused the Faunus to feel misplaced amongst it. "Teenagers would buy something like this without hesitation."

"They can afford that?!"

"Of course they'd be able too, and it would even be encouraged if they were being set up on dates, I would imagine." Weiss smiled softly, this store had always been one of her favorites as a girl. "This one in the window, that's considered a cheap dress. It's not of particularly high quality, at least, not in my eyes."

"Bullshit." Blake hissed under her breath.

Weiss only smiled softly at the somewhat murderous glare that the Faunus gave the articles of clothing. "It's just your typical prom dress, worn mostly on dates fit for your average sixteen year old. You'll notice, those are mass produced. There are identical dresses and suits on the racks, same cut and style, different color. There's no name attached to them, meaning they aren't original. My own wardrobe was filled with plenty of attire just like that."

"And you don't own any of it now?" Blake said, ears flattening and cramping under her bow as a result. She winced, hating the drag of the fabric.

"No, it wouldn't be considered appropriate." Weiss replied softly. "If I were to go on a date, I should be wearing attire that my bank account reflects. These don't do me any justice. As an adult woman, it would be expected that I would have original made. If you recall, I mentioned that I knew Coco Adel very well. The reason for this is that it remains mutually beneficial for the both of us that I call her for original dresses."

Blake frowned. "We're the same age, and I'd wear one of those ones in the window now…well, if I could afford one, anyway. Damn, they're expensive." She said, looking at the stunning patters of silk draped elegantly over the mannequin. It hardly looked fit for a teenager, at least, nothing she would have worn as a youth. A long slit up the side of one of the dresses had been cut at an impossibly high angle. There were even dresses with plunging necklines, and open back dresses. "I'm all for positive self-image and all of that, but those dresses are a little much."

"No, I think they're just enough." Weiss murmured, her eyes lingering on one dress in particular, a frown coming to her face. Unpleasant memories clawing their way to the surface. Thankfully, Blake didn't seem to notice.

"Hell, If I'd worn something like that as a teenager, my father would have had a heart attack."

To this Weiss only laughed, turning on her heel to keep walking, leaving Blake to catch up to her. "Modesty isn't exactly a concern when you're trying to attract the attention of single men." Then with a somewhat deprecating little smirk cast Blake's way, her words turned dark. "Even if you are betrothed, married, or otherwise spoken for, there are any number of reasons a teenage girl might want to have an affair. Even if for no other reason than to break off an engagement that they didn't want in the first place."

Blake found herself making the obvious mental leap that Weiss had expected her to. Yet, it wasn't the sort of discussion that the two of them could have in public place. Most certainly not on a busy street where anyone might hear it. It didn't stop the Faunus from growling soundlessly under her breath, though. The Faunus bit her tongue, knowing better than to ask, Weiss not kind enough to offer any further details on the disturbing insinuation.

Silence fell over them, further drowning Blake in the possibly unhappy realities cloaking over the woman's history. As a Schnee, it really could have been anything. Wisely, Blake chose to set it aside, not because she wasn't curious, but because she dreaded the answer.

To the credit of whatever deity was taking pity on her, Blake noticed that people passing by didn't even look at her as she continued to follow Weiss. To them she was just a poor, working class citizen. A nothing woman probably passing by on her way to the nearest bus station. The bow on her head was a perfect cover, so long as she kept her ears from fluttering around.

If only they knew the truth...

* * *

Blake and Weiss first stopped at a uniform supply store. Even here, attire was impossibly high. Students of the prestigious Atlas Academy waited in one line. Students of several preparatory schools waited in another. In an entirely different waiting area, many older men, and some younger ones pressed buttons on glass tablets, sorting through all kinds of apparel.

In another room, women did the same. Sales associates sat placidly behind desks, waiting for people to make the proper selections so that they could be taken to private dressing rooms and fitted accordingly.

Weiss introduced Blake to one such woman before setting herself up with another.

The Faunus hated being measured for properly tailored clothing. That ordeal, in and of itself, was another hallmark of high class living. While she blushed and fumbled her way through her measurements in her underwear, Weiss seemed hardly bothered by the handling of attendants who measured her for another perfectly white blazer and skirt combination.

Casual wear, Weiss called it. Blake vividly recalled the way Weiss wore such things on her Friday nights.

Blake wanted to see that same woman now, catching a glimpse of the Weiss she knew under that haughty attitude. In fact, Weiss was alluring when she stood there so carefree, as if nothing could have shattered her composure. The thin privacy screen between them hardly enough to save Blake's sanity from that slender silhouette.

After Blake had been measured, Weiss made her orders for the clothing she wanted Blake to have. Although Blake couldn't see the check that Weiss had written, the heiress assured her that the uniforms weren't coming out of her new, incredibly inflated salary.

After that, it was a trip to the grocery store, where Blake found herself carrying two small plastic bags of simple ingredients. Somehow, she had expected more. She had assumed that Weiss would pile things into the cart as if Blake were her own personal pack mule. Some part of her assumed that Weiss had been expecting the Faunus to carry it all home without complaint.

Certainly, that's how many saw Faunus. Weiss would not have been the first, or the last, to have asked that of Blake.

All of Blake's prior jobs were riddled with heavy cargo, back breaking labor, and dangerous situations. As a huntress, she was no stranger to the complexities of hard work. She had spent many nights protecting dust shipments from thieves. She spent many more days hauling back stolen shipments once they were found. Truth be told, such thankless tasks were one reason of many to hate being a huntress.

As Blake adjusted her grip on the plastic bags in her hands, she had to remind herself for the umpteenth time that Weiss was not so disrespectful. They had a friendship that extended beyond what might be considered appropriate. At least, when it came to Weiss and her all too affluent world. The fact that the woman willingly chose to carry the box of coffee cake in her own two hands bore testament to this.

Once they returned home, Blake found her cooking skills to put to the test for dinner. Weiss offered offhanded comments on where to find certain utensils, spices, and silverware. The request for a grilled chicken salad wasn't particularly difficult, but Blake couldn't say she was used to it. Greenery was always hard to come by, and so she avoided eating salads due to their obvious expense.

She could count on one hand the number of produce that she thought to be affordable, all of them being fruits that came imported from Vale in gigantic quantities.

Having never once prepared a salad, or dressing for that matter, she could only hope that the recipe she found in a dusty cookbook would suffice. It had been stowed away in the pantry, the pages yellowed, yet strangely crisp. As if it hadn't been used more than once or twice despite its age. Blake carried the plate to the clear glass table, smooth edges tapering off to a thin gold finish that ran around the outside edge.

"I hope you like it." Blake said, sliding the plate gingerly in front of Weiss. It wasn't much to look at, at least, not in her opinion. "I'm uh, not exactly a great cook."

"It'll do." Weiss said with a wave of her hand. "I'm no cook myself. I used to eat at the mansion, or survive on takeout. My trash used to be riddled with boxes from all the restaurant in the greater downtown area." Then she smiled down at thee food. "I can see by the looks of this that such meals won't be entirely out of the question in the future."

"You'd eat out that often with your figure?" Blake said, honestly impressed. "You must have amazing metabolism."

"It helps that I sometimes forget to take a meal at all." Weiss replied then, an afterthought coming to mind. "Oh, speaking of forgetfulness, I neglected to mention that you'll have to sit in here to eat. I don't permit meals in the living area, not even snacks."

"As if I was going to eat anywhere else?" Blake suggested casually with an upraised eyebrow.

"Under different circumstances, you would, yes." Weiss replied as she took a sip of sparkling cider that she had been enjoying while Watching Blake prepare her food. "Here, it's unavoidable, and I don't mind the informality. However in much larger houses, the hired help normally eat in a separate area. You may be expected to do so if we ever attend such a gathering. In my father's household, you'd be dining with Klein. If I were you though, I'd take that as a compliment. Klein usually makes for wonderful company."

"You mean your father's butler." The Faunus woman pieced together slowly.

"He's an older gentleman. He has served the family for quite some time. Actually, I don't ever recall a time in my life when he wasn't in service to the household."

"I guess that makes sense…"

"Don't look so glum." Weiss said then. "Sit down and eat. Salad is best enjoyed while the greens are crisp."

Blake flicked her gaze back over to the second plate, the one she had made for herself. Silently cursing the fact that she had even made it in the first place. She gathered her food and drink, sitting down in the chair across from Weiss. The two of them ate in silence for a long time. Blake wasn't used to it. Not from her own drab apartment building, or from Weiss herself.

It seemed that in sobriety, Weiss was quiet, withdrawn, perhaps even a little more uppity than Blake would otherwise like.

Not being able to stand the wordlessness any longer, Blake cleared her throat. "So, you said you had a sister?"

"Yes, an older sister." Weiss said as her salad fork hug poised over the meal in front of her.

It wasn't the best salad she had ever had. It obviously lacked visual appeal, the greenery appearing as if it had been hacked at, rather than expertly chopped and plated to be a fest for the eyes. The dressing was a tad salty, and the taste was notably blander than she might expect. However, Weiss found little to truly complain about, seeing as the chicken itself was cooked appropriately. Moist and delicate, with just the slightest seasoning of salt, pepper, and garlic.

"How much older is she?" Blake asked, once again making noise where there otherwise wouldn't be any.

Weiss had not expected to have her dinner interrupted with idle chatter. Upon reflection, she rarely at dinner with anyone outside of her family. She had been raised to enjoy the idea of companionable silence, seeing as it was one of the few times her family refused to argue. The dinner table promising an unspoken truce for any current drama befalling the family.

Even when they did gather around at the table to chat, they certainly didn't speak to great lengths. Idle banter was pointedly ignored, nonsense entirely forbidden in the dining room. Formal gatherings offered some polite conversation here and there, but that came with an agenda and a goal. Neither of those things were currently present at the table between them.

As far as Weiss was concerned, they never would be.

Blue eyes glanced up to see the Faunus looking particularly uncomfortable. As though she had made some sort of grievous error that Weiss had not yet seen. It was then she recalled that Blake had always been a naturally curious woman, striking up pointless racket to fill empty voids. Although Weiss wasn't used to doing so in her own home, she would make the accommodation.

"Quite a bit older, actually. Her name is Winter." Weiss said softly, the awkwardness in her voice very real as she attempted small-talk. "She's ten years older than I am."

"She must not be very well known to the press." Blake replied, knowing the name from passing interests at best. "I don't even think there's much information about her." In fact, the more she thought about it, the more Blake realized that she had never once seen the eldest sister in any of the tabloids.

"She serves directly under Atlas's Academy headmaster. General of the Army, James Ironwood."

"Oh, what's her ranking?"

"General, at least on official paperwork." Weiss replied. "Unofficially, James uses her as a personal secretary and assistant. When deployed, she acts as the military's head huntress. This is where it gets complicated. Primarily, when things are more or less peaceful, she's a diplomat when it comes to the handling of munitions and technology for Grimm extermination."

"Well, she would certainly have the connections for that." Blake dryly noted.

"Indeed, being a Schnee does help those little details for sure." Weiss agreed. "The Atlesian military prides itself on protecting the men and women who serve. As a result, many high profile figures enjoy the luxury of press blackouts. That's what makes the military such a wonderful choice for a woman like my sister."

"Sounds rather convenient."

"Take it as you will."

"So, is your sister involved in the company at all?"

"Of course not, it would be impossible to hold any station at all within the SDC. I once made mentioned that it's inconceivable for a woman to forge her own path. It's a rarity to be sure, and Winter is one of the very few who managed to do just that." Weiss said in-between bites. "Even if there were something scandalous to say about her, the press wouldn't be allowed to give a report to the public."

She could feel Blake's discomfort. Weiss could see it reflected in the way the salad fork jittered in the woman's hand ever so slightly. The silver catching like light with every tiny quake.

"You have a little brother too though, right?" Blake asked, her voice entirely neutral. It was as though she had been squashing down any and all curiosity that wanted to escape. Even so, it was obvious that Blake was keenly awaiting what Weiss might say next. "What about him?"

"I don't know what you classify as little. He's hardly a child. Although, I suppose you really can't classify him as an adult, either." Weiss replied in a somewhat sour tone. "He does have his grubby hands on the company. That is to say, he's the one my father intends the company to go to."

"Oh." Blake said, realizing she hit a sore spot.

Weiss took another drink and busied herself with few bites of her meal. Delicately Weiss chewed each little morsel, likely an action beaten into her by the family she came from. If it was to stall for time, or merely satiate her hunger, Blake wasn't sure. The ticking clock seemed all the louder in the silence once more. The noise ominous in and of itself. Blake endured it while Weiss seemed to piece together her thoughts.

Eventually, Weiss found her voice again. "He's five years younger than I am. As a result, he had the benefit of being the baby of the family."

"That's a benefit?" Blake wondered aloud. "I'm an only child, so…"

Weiss only nodded. "He's our father's golden child, as some would say."

"Is that some hostility I'm sensing?" Blake asked jokingly, only to see Weiss roll her eyes at the accusation.

"Hardly." She barked a laugh, but the bitterness in her voice then was plain as day. "I have no need for that."

Blake's ears flicked against the harsh sensation. That clipped, almost shrill sound, was so unlike the smooth chuckle she was used to hearing. It rubbed rudely against the tender little tugs of the woman's lips, the way she would usually show her amusement.

"It would be too easy to hate him." Weiss went on to say. "Whitley has all of the advantages he could ever need, and like it or not, he cannot escape the household. My father keeps his watchful eye on his only son, you can count on that. One might even go so far as to say I'm relieved to be quantified as worthless. It gives me a measure of freedom from my father, and his overwhelming scrutiny."

A chord of self-loathing seemed to snap back into place as Weiss finished her meal. She dabbed at her lips and folded the napkin that had been on her lap, gently placing it across the table. These manners, and the accompanying refinery, were actions completely alien to the Faunus. It made everything all the more uncomfortable.

She wanted to tell the woman to loosen up a bit, to uncoil that tightly wound and bound perfectionist standard.

She wanted Weiss to be the way Blake had always known her to be. Sharp, intelligent, and well spoken. She wanted to see the woman that she knew from the bar. The woman who was almost too much to handle, a challenge of the mind, body, and soul. Ideology at war with circumstance, and willing to openly speak her mind on those complicated contours that Weiss called life. Blake wanted it so desperately, she would have done anything for a mere moment of it.

With the request sitting firmly on the tip of her tongue, Blake was about to do just that.

Instead, Weiss politely excused herself from the table. Before leaving entirely, she paused and regarded the Faunus, as if contemplating something vastly important. Whatever it was seemed to be set to the side. Weiss once again stomping something down that she seemed to want to say. She worked her lips back and forth, obviously trying to once again produce words. The woman failing so epically that even Blake could see the struggle in front of her.

Weiss caved, giving up, changing the topic instead. "After meals, you'll be expected to see to the dirty dishes. Since you'll be doing that, please prepare some decaffeinated coffee and bring it to my office when it's ready. I'll take it with a single cube of sugar, no cream."

With that request safely out in the open, the entire ordeal passed on by like an afterthought.

* * *

The Faunus watched as Weiss slipped behind her office door, but for what, Blake hadn't the slightest clue.

She suspected it was work related. The educated guess was the best she could make of it, and even that didn't seem like enough. It didn't matter, because Blake felt herself being subjected to the terribly painful silence that this apartment seemed to bring down on them. It was oppressive, she couldn't even begin to call it anything else.

From the cool tones painted on the walls, the white marble counter tops in the kitchen, the glass backsplash and white appliances. It was all too much.

It felt like she was fit to be tied, sitting in an asylum waiting to be experimented on like a test subject. For all of this white, blue, and grey madness around her, there was no comfort. No solace could be found in the sterility. Nothing but the clinical perfection and ambiance expected of an extremely wealthy person. All of the splendor, but none of the happiness to go along with it.

It was all the incentive Blake needed to make the coffee as quickly as possible, doing the dishes to the sounds of running water.

It was then, in the midst of her own racket, that Blake realized what was so problematic to her. She should have noticed it sooner, but she was glad she understood it at all. This was the sound of being cast aside. The sound of nothingness being offered up for being inadequate. The lonely retribution of a woman who so desperately wanted the attention, and ultimately had received none of it.

Did Weiss experienced a childhood the same as this too? Was it all she had ever truly come to understand? Was it normal?

Well, it wasn't normal. This was the furthest thing from normal that Blake had ever seen.

Yet, did Weiss know that? Did she think it was alright to live this way?

That last question was terrifying to consider, and Blake tore the idea into shreds by her own refusal to believe it. Instead, she set the coffee on the silver tray, something that took her no time at all. Weiss had most of the amenities it strewn across the counter. Another byproduct of being alone. Weiss had asked for it black, with a single cube of sugar. Therefore, it was exactly what Blake prepared.

She carried it to the office, managing to get the door open, even with the tray in hand. This would be a skill she would need to learn to get perfect if she had anything heavy on the tray. Bringing in meals this way would be an absolute nightmare.

"I've made your coffee." Blake said, presenting the black substance as Weiss closed the book on her desk. It looked to be some kind of photo album. Before the amber eyed Faunus could get a good look, Weiss placed the book back into one of the drawers. The woman even took the time to lock it away with a small key.

"You can leave it here. Then you can be done for the night." Weiss said as she placed out a small disk of tempered glass to rest the coffee on. "I tend to keep odd hours, and it would be rude of me to expect that you keep the same. So long as breakfast has been prepared by seven tomorrow morning, I'll have no complaints."

"I'm not really all that tired." Blake said, her gaze flicking around the room. "I don't even know what sort of work you do, really. I'm kind of curious about it."

"What I do for the company depends entirely on my father's demands." Weiss replied, looking up from her desk. "However, I'm sure such a simple statement isn't in the least bit appeasing to you, is it?"

Blake shrugged, not truly knowing how to answer that. She would have liked to know more, but didn't want to overstep her welcome. Instead, she allowed herself to appreciate the room's decor. It was furnished differently from the rest of the house. A splash of purple and dark woods warmed the room in a way that was sorely lacking everywhere else. The deep mocha colored sofa that sat in the corner of the room was just the sort of plush décor that Blake would have expected in any household.

The fabric was worn, used, and obviously loved. It was also offensive as the color clashed with everything else, an interior decorator would likely call the thing an eyesore.

"If you truly have nothing else to do, you may join me." Weiss said then as she stood up and pulled open the closet door. Inside there was a small wooden stool that looked far too old to be in one piece. The wood had chipped in some places, and cracked in others. It hardly seemed like the sort of thing Weiss would choose to keep around. Her hand slid across the seat, her palm brushing off the dust. "I was going to wait to explain most of the details. If you wish, I can do it now."

Blake hesitated as Weiss pulled out a thick stack of paperwork and a large glass tablet. Finally, Weiss displayed a portable computer terminal. Slowly, Blake sat down on the uncomfortable piece of furniture, watching as Weiss booted up the system.

"So, charity work…" Blake trailed off uneasily.

"Indeed." Weiss murmured, reaching for the warm beverage, taking a small sip, as if to make sure it was exactly as she liked it. Then she set it off to the side again, forgotten. "Before my brother was born, I was slated to inherit the company in every capacity. After he was born, I was slated to support him in every way I could. I can slip into any position my father, or brother may see fit."

"That must have been a lot to learn."

"Not as much as you might expect, no." Weiss said, as she turned to Blake, looking at her earnestly. "Honestly, delegation is where the complications begin and end for the CEO of the SDC. However, ultimately, it's my father's wish that I get married. Ideally, he'd like my future husband to maintain a position of influence while I do what every high class woman in Atlas does."

"And that would be…?"

"An insult to everything I personally see for myself." Weiss groused unhappily. "He'd expect me to sit around, sip tea, and please my future husband's every whim. My wants and desires would be entirely secondary. All of it would eventually culminate into my most important task, to raise my future children."

"That sounds incredibly…" Blake trailed off, unsure what to really think of it all. "I don't even _know_ what…"

"Overbearing? Sexist? Idiotic? A complete waste of money and power best utilized in other places?" Weiss filled in expertly. "That's because you would be correct. It is all of those things, and more."

"Then why do it?" Blake muttered, ears smooshing down her bow.

"According to some, it's because my father acts like an idiot." Weiss expressed offhandedly, the grim sort of humor dying inelegantly between them as she sighed. "Honestly, frivolity and posturing between SDC and the military comes as a second nature nowadays. Our ties run so deep, sometimes it's hard to separate where the government ends, and the corporation begins." Weiss said, equally displeased with that thought as well.

She looked down at the smooth wood on her desk. Blake waited quietly for her to continue, the only indication that the Faunus might be restless was the way her fingers rubbed at the fabric of her pants. Fingers smoothing over non-existent creases.

"If you were to ask me, though," Weiss continued slowly, having collected her thoughts in as orderly manner as her exhaustion would allow. "I'd say it's because lesser companies need to be progressive. For them it's the only possible way to stay afloat. However, those like the SDC have no true competitor. Why be progressive, when you can uphold tradition? Not that it matters, so long as the SDC maintains the monopoly on dust, people have no choice but to acquire their supplies from us."

"Newer productions are cropping up all the time though." Blake replied. "The SDC cold be at risk now that we know even more untapped dust rests below the oceans. There might even be new kinds. Anything's possible, thanks to the aquatic conditions."

"True, but, we have our own scientific divisions too. If it were reasonable to drill that dust, we'd be doing it. Furthermore, even if someone did make a discovery, we would be the first to fund the project, our military would see to that."

"And if someone were to refuse?" Blake asked.

"Then the Atlesian military, might also refuse to offer military aid in the event of a crisis. No major world power would willingly risk that. We'd maintain our position based on that fear alone." Weiss tapped away at the screen, logging into more accounts. Finally, she turned the terminal slightly, so that Blake could better see an open spreadsheet. "Setting that colorful rant aside, however, let's talk about the charities under my current control." She then slid the mouse over each and every one. "Do these look familiar to you?"

There were a list of well-known charities on the page. Each section listed a set of contact information. There was also a basic overview of what each charity did. There were ten of them in all, a woman by the name of Willow Schnee named as the original founder. Blake bit her lip, she knew most of these charities well. They were large organizations that focused entirely on efforts that were seemingly important. "I know of them, yes."

"Obviously women of my intellect get bored fast with little to do. Many of us are goal driven, independent, and want a life outside the home. Over time it has become acceptable for women to dabble in charity work. It has become common practice. What you're looking at now exemplifies the very issue going on in the upper echelons of Atlas's esteemed one percent."

"Are you in charge of all of these?"

"I've inherited them. They were my mother's projects, but she is unable to continue overseeing their growth." It was then Weiss paused, scowling once more.

"Is she ill, or…" Blake cut herself off. "Never mind, you don't have to answer that."

"It's not as if you won't figure it out eventually." Weiss said bitterly. "We all have our vices. For me, it's my martinis. For my mother, it tends to be wine. We both drink to excessive amounts, and we would, under textbook definition, both be considered alcoholics. The difference between us is that I'm fairly functional. Meanwhile, my mother is unable to control her consumption. It would not be inaccurate to say that she spends large portions of her time inebriated simply for the sake of it."

What was Blake supposed to say in the face of all of that?

That she was sorry to hear it? That she felt bad that Weiss had to endure everything on her own? That she was sure it had to be difficult? All of it might have been true. Blake did feel and think all of those things. However, it was also a default response. One that was expected. Obligatorily stated out of pity by those weren't directly impacted by such disheartening news.

It was made worse by all of the suspicious little thoughts Blake had ever pondered about the family. She liked to think that if nothing else, she and Weiss had a bond beyond social graces.

At first, the entirety of their friendship could have been boiled down to one simple phrase; drinking buddies.

They met at the bar, talked at the bar, and that was where majority of their time had been spent. At the bar. The Faunus, always mindful of her senses, would merely sip on a drink here and there. Blake knew perfectly well that Weiss was not the same. She had seen Weiss imbibe first hand, and to do so on occasion on a level that would put her well over the legal driving limit. She has seen the hints of what might be called an addiction. She couldn't deny that.

Yet, she had also seen this same woman nurse a single martini for several hours. Weiss spending her time twiddling and toying with the toothpick in her glass as they talked about the Faunus plight.

So instead of opting for the easy, default answer, she decided to retort with a hint of her own cynicism. Something that might give the woman in front of her something to chew on. Something meaty to bite back with. Blake wanted to see a spark ignite in those blue eyes. She wanted to see that glimmer of intellect made more stunning by the strength that Weiss held dormant.

"That would explain why so many of the charities seem to act on their own, with little regard to public outcry at any given time." Blake said harshly. "It's because that's all they can do, with you two irresponsibly leading all the time."

Weiss was obviously surprised by the cruel answer. Her blue eyes lifting to look at the woman. It was such a vile accusation, and spilled from Blake's lips so easily. Weiss shook her head at that, a tiny smile toying on her lips. "You're right, they do act on their own quite a bit. I don't rightly mind. It's not as if I actually care what they do, so long at it pleases my father."

"Doesn't that make it harder on you, though?" Blake asked.

"A bit." Weiss murmured. "My father placed the charities in my hands the day I turned eighteen. A rite of passage, he called it." Weiss folded her hands onto the desk. "He was expecting me to clean up my mother's mess. She never has been good with book keeping. He thought he'd be able to distract me from the company if I had the responsibility to look over my mother's failing endeavors."

That was an understatement. The charities, most of them anyway, had been hemorrhaging money for years now. Most were swimming in debt. The only reason any of them stayed afloat was because of the gratuitous backing of the SDC. Blake had never looked into the matters too deeply, but now she knew why the company poured so much of its profits into these endeavors. "If it's any consolation, you are doing work that helps people. Even if the extent is something to be questioned, there's hope."

"Yes, well, I'm twenty-one now, and have yet to start a charity of my own. Compared to my peers, it seems as though I'm lazy." The white haired woman said. "Therefore, I've been ordered to begin one from the ground up. He expects me to do that, while simultaneously watching over my mother's old pursuits. Coming up with an idea has not been an easy task. Truthfully, I'm stumped."

Blake had no idea what compelled her to apprehend the small white mouse, or why she then closed the program and shutdown on the computer. She wasn't really sure why any of it actually bothered her. The only thing she _was_ sure of, was that she didn't want to look at that screen anymore.

Deep down, she didn't want Weiss to, either. "We don't have to work all night. We can get up in the morning to do this."

"I am not an early riser by choice." Weiss replied. "If this bothers you, I can do it myself. You can occupy your time elsewhere."

"I'm not just your bodyguard, I'm supposed to be your personal assistant, right?" Blake asked, already knowing that to be fact, but requiring the affirmation anyway.

"Yes, that is what the paperwork says."

"Then let me assist. You need to put this down for the night. We'll address it in the morning." Blake was tired, and she knew Weiss had to be. She could see it in the dulling blue of those usually vibrant eyes. "You don't look like you've gotten much sleep."

"That's because I haven't been sleeping well." Weiss replied honestly. Rubbing her eyes, and cursing herself for the action. It just made Blake glare more sternly at her.

"Then go and get some now…" Blake urged. "Those charities will still be there in the morning."

* * *

Weiss laid there for hours, tossing and turning.

Her scroll buzzed at the rather ungodly hour. There was only one person who might call at such an obscene time, and that was only because opportunities for proper discussions rarely presented themselves otherwise. Her sister's image on the screen was as welcome as it ever, Weiss smiling in earnest, because she had waited weeks to once again receive a call from her older sister.

"Winter, oh, it's wonderful to finally hear from you! I was beginning to get worried."

"There is nothing to worry about, although I'm glad to be able to put your mind at ease." Then there was an audible pause, and a shifting of papers. "I wish a video call was plausible, but at this time, I'm just thankful to be stationed at a village with a working tower."

"I thought you'd be back on base by now…"

"I'm afraid that won't be very likely to happen any time soon. James and I have plenty to be doing, and lazing around at Atlas Academy isn't even remotely on our itinerary."

"That's a shame."

"You would think so, but I find it rather enjoyable." Winter replied lightly. "It's an honor to be making these trips. The villages and outposts surrounding the Atlesian borders are always very accommodating to travelers, particularly huntsmen and those from the military."

"You certainly speak fondly of them."

"Yes, well, they deserve the high praise often enough. Most of them are lovely, even with the hostile weather conditions that crop up from time to time. Enough about that, I called for another matter. I called the mansion today, Father tells me you've managed to acquire a new assistant."

"I have." Weiss said slowly, unsure why her sister would feel the need to bring that up. "Today was her first day on the job."

"Was she adequate?"

"for my needs, yes. Father might have something to say about it though. She wouldn't ever live up to his."

"So I've heard. He seemed very displeased when we spoke."

"When isn't he?"

"I'll let you know once I've figured that out."

The two siblings shared a laugh over that, before Winter cleared her throat. Her next few words carrying an air of gravity to them.

"He mentioned that you directly disrespected him, hiring on a Faunus worker." Winter said slowly. "Is that true, Weiss?"

"Yes, it is." Weiss said softly. "Why is that suddenly a problem? We both know I don't judge a person based strictly on race."

"I do, and I'm happy that you can be so open-minded. You certainly weren't raised to think that way." Winter told her, no anger or disappointment at all in her voice. It was oddly placid, perhaps even gentle. "Although that detail about your employee being a Faunus did stick in his craw quite a bit. Something I suspect you were aiming to achieve. You should probably try not to agitate him so much."

"If I did achieve it, all the better. It's about time he had a taste of his own medicine."

"Weiss, please don't fight with him. It doesn't end well."

"I know that."

"Good. Keep that at the forefront of your temper for next time. Weiss, I can't stay on for long. The fires need tending to, and it's my turn for night watch. I just wanted to reiterate how proud I am of you. I realize that things at home can be rather difficult at home."

"It..." Weiss sighed. "It has been difficult, perhaps too much so."

"I don't envy you, dear sister." Winter replied easily. "If ever it becomes too difficult, the military will always have a place for you. We've been very lacking in our technology and dust related departments. Falling that, we could always use more diplomats."

"I thought that was your job." Weiss scoffed.

"It is, but that doesn't negate the need for more people of our particular ilk." Winter retorted humorously. "You would be a very welcome addition. You'd be very likely to meet some very...interesting individuals."

"That huntsmen from Vale is driving you crazy again, isn't he."

"Like a thorn in my backside."

She could just imagine her sister, gritting her teeth and withholding every curse imaginable. A giggle slipped from her lips just thinking about it.

"Well, at the very least, I'm glad I could offer you some mild entertainment for my suffering. I really must go now, Weiss. Please, take care of yourself. Sleep well."

"I will. You too, Winter, take care."

As she hung up, she knew she'd just blatantly lied.

Weiss wouldn't sleep well that night. Then again, she never seemed to sleep well these days.

Her mind was too full of tiny details. Her intellect was something she hated when it conspired against any peace of mind. A lesser person would probably cast paranoia aside. They'd worry about the upcoming issues when matters arrived. They would not spend half of the night trying to come up with strategies to soften media backlash. Yet, her father had taught her well, and she didn't have a simpleton's luxury.

She didn't even have the peace of mind to shut out the darker whispers that she knew went on behind her back. To do even that much would be like admitting ignorance, and she simply couldn't do that.

Or rather, she wouldn't do that.

Instead, she watched the world below her pass on by. It was the same thing she always seemed to do from the reaches of the high rise apartment. The television wasn't nearly as interesting, and the radio was known to be full of propaganda. She could have found herself a good book, but she hadn't gone shopping for those sorts of distractions for a long time.

Truth be told, Weiss had only one hobby. She desperately avoided it on most nights, least she turn into her mother.

Weiss hated to admit it, but entire life had been reduced to this one simple scene in front of her. The people below her, all with lives likely just as significant as her own, buried under justifications her father spit out. He didn't care about them, just as she truly didn't either. They were strangers, and while she didn't view them with ill-intent, she was no humanitarian.

She was quite selfish, all things considered. What good was it to deny the cold hard facts?

The SDC had calmly cut thousands of lives away. To them, those lives were just tiny threads part of a greater web. It didn't matter what was left amongst the ashes of any of it. Faunus lives were nothing compared to the dust they gathered. Poor humans were a means to an end. Yet, when burned upon a funeral pyre, no one knew the difference. Dust, and the remains of those who died, scattered in the air much the same way.

It all glowed red before fading to black. There was no distinction.

Death and dust were both byproducts of the inhospitable world. When she thought of that, Weiss was forced to ask greater questions, and study deeper truths.

How many worthwhile lives were burned out before their time? How many innocent people had been valued as worthless? How many were just another casualty, all for the sake of a few extra lien? How many times could she rip apart her father's backwards logic? How many more times could she choose silence? How could she want to take his place? How could she even begin to do better, when she was his flesh and blood?

Those were some of the many questions that she simply didn't have the answers for. The worst part of it all, the one thing she could not deny, was that the SDC provided an invaluable service. One that could not be done away with. Without dust, Remnant wouldn't function properly as they knew it.

It was that simple, and that complicated.

In the darkness of the sky, and the glowing lights below, she couldn't help but be mystified by all of the small fractures showcased by the city. Every single time she had looked, to her, it was just a cityscape. A skyline she paid to take view of from the comfort of her own home. It was nothing more, and nothing less than that.

Blake had begun to change that perception.

The Faunus had asked Weiss to look at everything from a different angle and now, from her position, she couldn't look at the empty park benches the same way again. She couldn't look at the beauty and splendor with pride. She couldn't stare off into the vast many districts idly. Not without questioning the nature of their composure. It was horrifying how beautiful it all looked, when Weiss knew that some of it was made to torture others who were already in a difficult position.

How could she have been so blind?

* * *

It wasn't just ignorance.

It wasn't just an excuse.

It wasn't okay.

It wasn't good enough to point the blame at her father, her family, and their wealthy friends.

Weiss felt as though she had been brainwashed. That she had been tricked to think everything was made for the high class comforts. That everything was simply to live up to the immaculate expectations of the world she had been born into.

That wasn't the truth.

That wasn't reality.

 _It was cruelty_.

She couldn't be happy this way. She couldn't allow herself to be. It wasn't alright to continue living with the wool pulled over her eyes, her hands covering her ears, and blocking out every sickening detail. Thinking about it at any length hurt. It made bile rise up and linger in her throat.

Slimy.

Disgusting.

The bitter taste was acidic on the back of her tongue.

She had washed it away with drink after drink one too many times. Weiss was tired of doing that. Of numbing those all too consuming thoughts of inadequacy. Trying desperately to come to terms with all of the responsibilities on her shoulders. The people who depended on her mother's abandoned charities, and thus, on Weiss herself. It wasn't enough for anyone. Not anymore. Weiss knew, she could never be satisfied with those second hand, half-hearted platitudes.

Especially not when her mother had long ago given up on them.

Weiss envied her little brother. In some capacity, she wanted to be him. At the very least, there were times that she wished she could have been born male. It would have better coincided with her ultimate goals, and she would have then fit into the image her father absolutely demanded. Yet, Weiss had not been born male, and her fair completion and delicate image glared back at her with those chilly blue eyes.

She could clearly see everything she could never have, all of the things she would never be, and everything she wanted so desperately to defy reflected in the glass window.

Weiss was every bit her father's bullheaded daughter. Every ounce of Weiss craved the taste of her mother's worst vice. Weiss was beautiful, if frail looking, lacking even the voluptuous curvature of her mother and her sister. She had the same dry, snarky attitude, as her brother. When she boiled everything all down to the heart of it all, she was everything she hated in her family.

A perfect example of everything she couldn't stand to be, wrapped up into a tight little packaged of enviable perfection.

Without thinking, without hesitating, she padded across the room, and beyond the threshold of the hall. Her fingers wrapping around the white brass handle. Turning the door silently, Weiss crept through the open door as Blake lay awake, book in her hand.

"Oh, hey Weiss." Blake said, amber eyes peeking up over the pages of her book. "Do you need something?"

Her chest felt heavy, her mouth so terribly try. She could feel the urge to drink dripping all the way down to her toes. That lonely desire would do nothing for her now. It wouldn't give her even a smidgen of a reprieve, and that realization annoyed her. "That depends entirely on you." Weiss forced out, unhappily concluding that she _needed not to need_ so many things in her life.

The drinking was only one vice out of so many that had piled up in her life. All of them were excuses she didn't want, and yet, had no way to combat in the face of it all.

Blake closed her book, her keen eyes locking slowly with those icy blue orbs. So many of their exchanges were made in silence this way. As if Weiss demanded Blake to simply understand that which would not be said. If Weiss couldn't explain things, or simply chose not to, Blake was never really sure. Still, Weiss relied on that uncanny intuition that flowed so impossibly between them.

That selfsame, cocky, downright assholian intuition that had inspired the Faunus to reach out to Weiss in the first place.

Their meeting something that forcefully and abruptly changed each and every expectation that Weiss had ever had about a person. Blake openly defied it all, simply because she could. Only because she _wanted_ to. It was mysteriously sexy, same as everything else captivating about her. Like an addiction, in a completely new way, there was an unquestionable dependency Weiss felt for this woman.

Weiss was very unwilling to let go of. Yet, in spite of that, Weiss was also lost on how to proceed. What did she say to this breathtakingly beautiful Faunus? Nothing came to mind.

The gamble Weiss took coming into Blake's room paid off, because the Faunus stood from her bed, crossing the floor slowly. "I tend to forget, humans can't see very well in the dark, can they?" Blake asked, already knowing the answer. She reached for the tall floor lamp, only for Weiss to capture the shadow of the woman's hand in her own.

"No, don't." Weiss breathed, knowing she needed to offer something more. "Leave it off."

"Uh..."

"Please just…" The words wouldn't come to her, desperately though she begged them to. "I don't want to be alone."

Blake frowned deeply, nodding ever so slightly at that single request. For some reason it didn't seem like enough. She didn't like the underlying implication, either. "Is this the part where I undress you, take you to my bed, and fuck you?" Blake murmured quietly. "That would be a little crude, don't you think? I was kidding about the whole escort thing."

As appealing as that suggestion was, Blake's obviously bitter tone made Weiss think twice about admitting that dark indulgence. She shook her head. "It would be terribly crude, not to mention wildly inappropriate." One foot slid backward, defensively protecting her position an instinct. "I didn't ask for that."

"Not yet…" The Faunus replied skeptically.

"I wouldn't." Weiss shot back.

"Don't lie to me." Blake murmured from between gently clenched teeth. "How many?"

"I don't-"

"How many women have had a taste, huh?" Blake asked again, this time pulling Weiss close to her.

Weiss sighed at length. "More than I would like, less than most other people my age, none of them of any significance."

"Does anyone close to you actually know?" Blake asked again.

Weiss just shook her head. "None because of my own admissions."

Weiss tried to pull away, but Blake held firm.

"What about those who assume?" Blake asked hotly. "Do you gratify any of it with a real response?"

"You assumed didn't you?" Weiss asked softly.

Blake was quiet, and once again, Weiss averted her gaze.

"Look, I'm interested, but not like this. I won't be another notch in a bedpost." Blake finally said, those burning orbs of molten gold glittering amongst the city lights and the blackish-blue sky. "You can't buy me. I'm not for sale."

Weiss blushed deeply. That had never been her intention, but now that Blake had brought it up, that idea had some twisted merit. "I'm not trying to buy you, Blake."

"Then, what I am I to you?" Blake asked. "A servant? A sex slave?"

"No." Weiss said, firmly shaking her head. "No, I never intended anything like that."

"Then what did you intend?"

Weiss was asking herself that very same question. Blake was everything Weiss shouldn't be near. Everything she wanted. Everything she craved. Everything her family had ever condemned itself over. An addiction. A Faunus. A woman. An activist. If anything, she should be staying as far away from Blake as possible, not trying to get closer.

"I don't know." Weiss said then, her voice oddly distant, as if she was building an emotional wall around this entire situation.

"Don't you think you should figure that out?" Blake shot back.

"I'm trying."

"Try harder." The Faunus demanded. "What do you want from me?"

Weiss didn't have anything she could say to that. It was the very question she kept asking herself to great length. She was no closer to answering her own question as she was to answering Blake's. The Faunus woman might as well have been an image of friend and foe mixed together to make the perfect sin. The sort Weiss would never be able to redeem herself from.

"I want companionship."

"Sex?" Blake pressed.

"No, not that. Just…I…" Weiss closed her eyes and sighed, anger edging into her tone. "I just don't want to be alone right now, is that so bloody hard to understand?"

"Then stop fighting me." Blake murmured, the grip she had on that slender wrist had held steadfast. Even as Weiss tried to pull away, run, and retreat back to her own little corner of denial. Blake hadn't let her, wouldn't let her. Not while they were this close. When Weiss stopped pulling away, that grip slackened, and Blake got closer. "I won't be another dirty little…what did you call them earlier today?"

"Skeletons." Weiss said unthinkingly.

"Right." Blake murmured softly. "I won't be another one of those."

"I never asked you to be." Weiss licked her lips, wanting so very much to kiss the woman holding her so securely. Having no idea how to go about that under this circumstance, she swallowed back the urge. It was entirely possible Blake wouldn't reciprocate. The plausibility that the taller woman might push her away and leave, it was too much to consider.

In fact, the Faunus had every right to do so, and, every reason.

Against all cynical odds, a warm palm lifted to cup her cheek, and Blake leaned. Full lips gently planting the simplest of kisses upon her lips.

It was all of the assurance Weiss could have wanted, and yet, it wasn't nearly enough to quell the depth of the thirst Weiss had for this infuriating Faunus known as Blake Belladonna.

* * *

By some miracle of nature that extended far beyond her ken, Weiss ended up walking barefoot across the carpet. Blake guided her to the bed to lay down. Everything was meticulous, and very much intentional. Blake seemed to make sure that there was no misunderstanding that. This was not a one night stand. It would never be an illicit act, scandal, or even a momentary indiscretion.

She buried the both of them in the sheets, blanket, and thick comforter with careful intent. She did it so assuredly, that Weiss had no room to doubt her. An arm snaking around a slender waist, causing Weiss to gasp as she felt the Faunus press into her lightly.

"Blake, what are you doing?"

"Holding you."

"Why."

"You said you didn't want to be alone."

"I don't."

"And what are we supposed to be doing now?" Weiss asked in the too dark room. Shadows were not enough to see Blake's expressions. The only hint were those amber eyes glittering faintly in the nearly non-existent light. What could Blake possibly expect from her in this position?

"Sleeping." Blake said, face buried halfway into her pillow, her eyes closing. That amber gaze disappearing entirely into the darkness.

"I'm not tired." Weiss said. In fact, she was decidedly wound up from feeling another body pressed against her own for so long.

"You may not be, but I am." Blake muffled with some level of force through her sleepy haze, her pillow catching the ire in her voice. "Hush now, I'm going to sleep now."

There was no room for argument, but even if there had been, what retort could she possibly have made?

This was a road that Weiss had honestly not traveled. Never, not once in the entirety of her life. Truth be told, it was a little intimidating. She didn't know what to do. Her inexperience in this new endeavor obvious as she went as still as a board. The Faunus slowly molded around her like firm potters clay. Each passing moment, relaxing more and more.

It was all too much. The warm body heat of another. The soft breathing of a tender soul. The supple womanly features pressing into her back, all the tantalizing, and driving her mad.

Weiss had nothing else to compare this to. Bedfellows were usually mindless in their escapades. Quick romps, nothing more. They never stayed around. Bitter loneliness was a guarantee to follow after sweet release. The best orgasms she'd ever had were soured quickly by the people she'd reached those heights with. Sexual gratification wasn't something that Weiss was ashamed to admit that she partook in.

It was a natural urge. Yet, it was only a baser desire.

An act born not of love, but of something entirely more primal. Lust taking root in the reptilian part of the human mind. It was an instinct easily ignored or avoided, but one unquestionably more pleasurable to indulge. To share a bed outside of that offered no gratification, or so Weiss had assumed.

As such, Weiss had never indulged in this sensation in her life. The feel of another resting next to her, while still being completely clothed. It was an entirely foreign concept. Cuddling something she knew by name, but never by experience. She had never even assumed it could be a pleasurable act in and of itself. She assumed it was what married couples did in the haze of sleepiness.

Most certainly not something to be done on restless nights. Never when her mind twirled around in the scum of its own negativity.

She felt Blake's fingers run up and sown the length of her arm, gently caressing the silky smooth skin that Weiss ever so carefully cared for. There was moist heat in every breath of air placed upon her neck, Blake not quite kissing her, but yet allowing her lips to brush that sensitive area on rare occasion. Each action was lazy, as if Blake was trying to soothe Weiss, while also lulling herself to sleep.

That ever odd juxtaposition not lost on Weiss as she fixated on the strangeness of it all.

Further, her analytical mind noted that this was the first time Weiss experienced true silence out of Blake.

The Faunus was wordless in the darkness, her gentle breathing and the rustle of the blankets were the only sounds that she made with regularity. An occasional sniff of the air, a small yawn, or the flutter of an exposed Faunus ear against the pillow would add to the sounds of life. The sounds of intimacy, indicative of sharing a bed with another. The smell of lavender was permeating the room, a scent all Blake's own, lingering among the sheets.

Weiss bit her lip, unbearably aroused.

What was she supposed to do during an occasion like this?

Seeing to her own needs would be crass, lewd, and largely unappealing.

Yet, she couldn't very well act on her desires. Strictly speaking, Blake had told her that she couldn't be a bought woman. That law made not in sand, but concrete. The Faunus taking a seemingly hard line about that. It was almost as if Blake distrusted her. That she assumed that Weiss somehow classified the Faunus as a high class whore, made strictly for the purposes of her pleasure.

It was less out of objectification, and more a question of time. Months having gone by since the last time Weiss had indulged in a woman. Years since it had been a man. Her sexual appetite was hardly ravenous, but in this moment, it certainly felt as if it was. However, no matter what the reasons were, Blake certainly hadn't been wrong.

It was with a guilty little sigh that Weiss admitted to herself that if Blake had asked for money, she would have paid.

There was no excuse for that, either.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Yang**

Blake was fast asleep when the atlesian sky dulled to gray, bespeaking an early morning hour. The sun wouldn't come up for a few more hours, as was common in the north. They lived much of their lives with only partial light, or none at all. Darkness would come again in the early evening, before they even knew it. Weiss found herself watching the slow meandering of the clouds that passed by, an indication that it was going to snow heavily again soon.

The streets were not as busy as usual. The nightlife had died down, and the early commuters had yet to leave their homes. A thin sheen of ice covered the roads, the workers diligently cleaned the streets and pavement before the workday could begin. The faint sounds of sanitation workers lifting the dumpsters behind the complex added to the daily preparations. The faint beeping and squealing of metal quick to end before the large truck drove away.

Weiss had dozed, but not slept, unable to find true peace in Blake's arms.

She had done her best to find respite, but to no avail. She had been too guilty, too aroused, to find any real solace in that warm embrace. She wanted more than Blake's strong arms around her, craved more than the warmth the Faunus provided. she wanted her body. To taste and touch the off-limits taboo lying beside her. After all, a Schnee would never lay with a Faunus, not even merely for pleasure, and that was a fact.

Blake was even more appealing because she had a somewhat muddled history. As a Faunus, and as a huntress, that was a guarantee.

Weiss entertained herself on the stories Blake had regaled her with. Her mind fixated on the heroic actions of the huntress, and pondering possible rewards for a job well done. She wondered how many times Blake enjoyed the feel of another, partaking the provocative attentions of a bedfellow. Did Blake entertain the call of physical desire at all? Did she welcome the notion of treating herself to an all too special service? Would she permit it, if Weiss showed her what a complete and total disregard for inhibition could offer her?

Weiss didn't know of Blake's past relationships, or even if the woman had ever properly _had_ one at all. If she didn't, would she even want one?

More importantly, would Weiss?

The white haired woman glanced over to the figure beneath the sheets. Sometime during the night, Blake had rolled over onto her belly, burying her face into the pillow. Those gentle breaths, nearly soundless snores, made Weiss want to say yes. That she did want Blake for more than just the woman's body. That her mind, captivating as it was, had been the true allure that promised even more satisfaction.

As Weiss told herself this, her own checkered past cackled at her.

She had met women like this before. She knew the appeal of a strong, charismatic huntresses. The intelligent type. Someone weary from travel, who wanted more than sex, and needed more than Weiss could give. She remembered the rough and tumble blonde. How her demeanor made for some of the most overwhelming emotional tides that Weiss had ever experienced.

The sex had been explosive, but so had the arguments. Yang was too kind, too passionate, and needed she needed someone willing to meet her passion, heart and soul, in return.

Weiss, often cold and withdrawn, had never been able to provide that. Weiss considered it her greatest failure, though, she had never personally told Yang that she felt that way. Another guilty truth, left unsaid.

Carefully Weiss sat up in bed, noticing that Blake didn't move. The mattress, made of some of the finest memory foam that money could buy, didn't make a single creek or groan. It hardly disturbed the Faunus. A single flick of her ear was the only indication that she even noticed the rustling of the soft sheets.

Weiss froze when that ear twitched again, as though Blake had finally woken. It twitched again, and again, turning a bit before relaxing. The Faunus melting back into sleep. It was only after she was sure that Blake wasn't going to stir that she finally exited the room. She went to her own, pulling her scroll from the side table. She located a single number on her contacts screen.

Then she made a short text.

[Weiss Schnee] "Are you home yet, Yang?"

She was afraid that Yang might not respond. There could have been any number of reasons.

Yang might not have reception, or she merely might be asleep. A tiny twinge of rejection whispered at Weiss, all of her past failings woven between each and every interaction the two of them had, or in some cases, didn't have. Those were the worst, and Weiss knew she would never truly recover from all of the pain she had inadvertently inflicted on the both of them.

Weiss had always struggled with a lack of wanting to commit, and Yang was the sort that gave all of herself in almost every situation.

In trying to protect the both of them, Weiss had irreparably damaged what might have been considered a budding romance. Weiss felt her heart tremble at the idea. The dark sins conjuring within. Perceived inadequacies that had always existed since their rather violent break-up. Weiss feared that due to the damage, Yang might not even care about her at all.

Her logic barked back, telling her that Yang wouldn't ever betray the honest mistake. That she would not abandon Weiss.

They had been teenagers then. Young, and frankly, quite stupid, teenagers.

Yang wouldn't hate her. Yang could never hate her.

Yet, logic and emotion seemed always at war, and Weis found no comfort from the obvious fact.

The blonde had moved on with her romantic life long ago. Even if that special someone still eluded her, Yang worked hard to better herself. She tried her best to support Weiss as best as she could. The two of them had pieced together a friendship from the ashes of their errors.

Still, Weiss felt fearful. Those old self-inflicted malignancies refusing to die.

Her eyes glancing to the clock. It hadn't even been thirty seconds, but it seemed like an eternity longer.

Biting her lip, she glanced back down at her scroll, watching it. A moment later, the scroll lit up, the screen showcasing her blonde bombshell of a friend. Her best friend, the only friend, that she had ever possibly considered a truly romantic relationship with.

[Xiao Long] "Yeah, just got in from the field test actually."

Weiss felt a true smile tugging at her lips. Relief flooded over her. Just seeing that answer, made the world seem brighter. The panic and guilt that melted away. Her own reply was hurried.

[Weiss Schnee] "Is everything alright?"

[Xiao Long] "Yeah, why?"

[Weiss Schnee] "You should have been back long before now."

[Xiao Long] "I wanted more data. The boys down in the labs are going to bitch and moan. The prototype needs another re-calibration."

[Weiss Schnee] "Just what kind of data collecting were you doing?"

[Xiao Long] "The fun kind."

[Weiss Schnee] "That could mean anything, knowing you."

[Xiao Long] "Boxing."

[Weiss Schnee] "Grimm, I presume?"

[Xiao Long] "Bingo."

[Weis Schnee] "Who authorized you to do that?"

There was a lengthy pause, and Weiss could just imagine Yang sweating bullets over the answer. When it took too long to receive an answer, Weiss took an educated guess.

[Weiss Schnee] "It was Ruby, wasn't it?"

[Xiao Long] "Uh, classified?"

[Weiss Schnee] "You're an SDC employee, and I'm the one that hired you. It can't possibly be classified…"

[Xiao Long] "Eh, worth a shot."

[Weiss Schnee] "The components to the arm had better not be damaged again. If you tried to punch through another Grimm carapace of any kind, so help me."

[Xiao Long] "I said I was doing a field test, not that I was suicidal. I'm not trying that ever again."

[Weiss Schnee] "You had better not. Once was enough."

[Xiao Long] "It wasn't anything like that, just a few northern nevermore, a cave ursa or two. Ruby even cleared the field tests and came with me on back-up. She said it was okay, we even did the paperwork."

[Weiss Schnee] "If you say so, but I warn you, I will be checking the records."

[Xiao long] "Go ahead, it'll all be there. You'll see. So, what did you want this late at night? Is everything okay?"

No, it wasn't, but Weiss couldn't accurately describe that over a text message. She felt her gut twist anew. Slowly, she sent another reply.

[Weiss Schnee] "I need to see you."

[Xiao long] "Now?"

[Weiss Schnee] "Somewhat urgently would be preferred."

[Xiao Long] "Come on down then."

[Weiss Schnee] "I'll be there shortly."

Hastily, Weiss penned a short note on the small pad of paper that she kept on her nightstand. She carefully placed it in Blake's room, right atop the woman's own scroll. She was sure that it would be the first thing that the Faunus would see. Weiss felt her scroll vibrate again as she exited her apartment in haste. Realizing her error in clothing as she reached into the pocket of her robe.

She was still in her sleeping attire, a pair of slippers the only thing protecting her feet from the possibly germ addled hallway floor. Still, she eagerly read Yang's message.

[Xiao Long] "I'll be here."

It was all the invitation she needed as she made the few steps down the private hall, and into the elevator.

* * *

Yang lived in in the center of the building. It was a studio style apartment, but she rarely stayed there. The restless blonde hated being cooped up anyplace for too long, especially not by herself. She had spent her entire life with other people, and couldn't deal with the confines of loneliness. Wearing her heart on her sleeve came easy to her, and Weiss had always envied Yang's tactlessness.

She desperately wanted those candid responses now. Those lilac eyes seeing through her, just as they always seemed to. As she explained her situation, and what ultimately came of this sleepless night, she wondered what Yang might say.

"I've never met anyone like her before." Weiss said wistfully as she finished her ling tirade. "She's so different."

"People tend to be that way."

"Not like Blake, she's an entirely different sort of person. I don't know quite how else to describe her." Weiss replied softly. "There are qualities I see in her that are not so different from your own. More subdued, obviously, but there all the same. Although, it makes sense. They're commoners qualities really, you both have several things in common that would warrant such similar mannerisms."

Yang nodded slowly as she tried her best to finish dealing with the knots in her hair. She knew what Weiss meant. The common social class didn't hold themselves to such impossibly high standards. Weiss could relax, at least more so than she might around other peers. "So, you like this chick, managed to catch her attention, and she took you to bed."

"Sleeping was her intention." Weiss pointed out. "It was not mine."

"Right, but you were still in her bed. "That's more than you can say for most people."

"I hadn't planned to actually stay there."

"But, you totally did." The blonde said, glancing at Weiss through the mirror. Her lilac eyes catching blue in that gaze. Studying Weiss intently, Yang found more hesitancy than she thought she would. That, and something else. She decided it was best to push that something, whatever it was, aside. "Anyway, then, you start feeling guilty and you text me. Icing on the cake being that now you've just left her there without any warning."

"I didn't just abandon her, Yang." Weiss huffed indignantly. "I left a note."

"Right." Yang muttered, setting down her brush. "You do realize that most people aren't like you though, right?"

"Unfortunately for me, I am very aware of this, yes."

"Not that you really get it, though."

"I think I comprehend my situation just fine, thank you."

"Not everyone thinks as clinically as you do." The blonde grumbled as she tossed her duffel bag roughly into the corner of the closet. Then her eyes drafted back to the mirror, gazing as Weiss before averting her gaze, and slamming the closet door shut. "Well, seeing as you're still in the complex, I guess she won't blow too much of a gasket."

"It wasn't as if we had intercourse, or that I made a promise to stay in that very spot all night." Weiss had watched the woman unpack her clothes and mission gar as she had regaled Yang with all of the new complications in her life. Yang seemed to take the offered information rather well, considering the implications. "You act as if I've gone halfway across Remnant."

"Well, I mean, you're going to another woman's apartment, that might as well be the same thing." Yang said with a small shrug. "Hell, for some people, it might be worse. We have a history, and all that usually matters to most people."

"I hardly see why that matters."

"You mean besides the fact that you snuck out to talk to an ex?" Yang asked darkly. "Most people wouldn't be chill with that, just saying. I know, I wouldn't be. I'd be pissed."

"Then you must separation emotion from fact. She isn't you, Yang." Weiss replied, an edge of hurt in her voice. "I came here to talk because I thought you could give me a few words of wisdom."

"Well, fun fact, I wouldn't be sneaking around my new bodyguard, but that's just me."

"I didn't say _a thing_ about her being a bodyguard, Yang."

"Ya didn't have to."

"You've been talking to Winter." Weiss accused, finger outstretched before those blue eyes narrowed dangerously. "How much did she tell you?"

"We crossed paths yesterday. I wanted to see if this new prototype could withstand bashing an ursa in the face. So, I mean, if you wanna constitute a quick fuck against a tree as a conversation, then yeah. I guess you could say we had a chat." Yang shrugged then as she undressed out of her no longer white thermal combat gear, throwing the pieces into the wash bag once by one.

"I still cannot fathom what she sees in you."

"Same thing you saw in me, I'd imagine." Yang frowned then as a somewhat sinister idea came to mind. Something that she well and truly hoped was not the case. "Is that why you're here. You said you wanted help. Is that the kind you really want? Looking to take the edge off?"

"Ugh, Yang! That's disgusting. I refuse to entertain that notion after knowing that you've been with my sister. Just recently, might I add." Weiss balked indignantly, hating to even think of it. "You are absolutely insufferable, you know that?"

"Hey, I'm only human." Yang said with a shrug. "Weiss, what else am I to think when you come over randomly in the middle of the night? I know we agreed that the sexy part of our relationship was over. It's just that sometimes you give me these really mixed signals, and I know the truth. If I pinned you against this wall and fucked you, you wouldn't stop me."

"A fatal flaw with your friendship." Weiss replied sorely. "I know that detail, Yang. I know that particular lack of restraint better than I wish I did. You don't have to remind me."

"Yeah, but I think I do. I don't want to forget who I am, or, who you are. I want to remember why we split up in the first place."

"I'm sorry, Yang."

"Don't be."

"Guilt is no so easy to get rid of, you know."

"Look, I want someone who won't kick me out of bed after the deed is done. It doesn't make it any easier on me when Winter does the same thing you do. I feel like I'm rehashing old mistakes all over again with her." Then Yang laughed, a sad little lilt, one that held more pity than Weiss would have ever liked to hear. "Now I see how much your upbringing screwed the both of you up…you both sing the same tune, and it really kind of sucks."

"She's my sister, Yang. Even thinking about what the two of you might do in that forest…" Weiss shivered in disgust. "There are limits to what I'm willing to discuss."

"Alright, fine, so let's go back to talking about you. Do you love that woman upstairs?" The blond asked, reaching for a pack of cigarettes, perching one on her lips, letting her tongue fondle it around a bit. She lit it, taking a long drag, watching the way those icy eyes glared her.

Weiss scowled, deeply in thought. "Truthfully? No...but the possibility..." Weiss trailed off, glaring more daggers into the floor.

"See that?" Yang asked with a soft laugh as she exhaled, holding her cigarette between two fingers casually. "God damn sexy, that glare…but damn if it doesn't scream that you're off the table. I never could understand it."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly as it sounds. When I bring up the topic of Winter, you gotta understand, you emulate her a lot." The grin dropped lean off of Yang's face, her expression gentling into something more sincere. "I get you both have your reasons, but, I won't pretend to understand why that can't include someone else too."

"Because, love is complicated." Weiss shot back. "Too complicated."

"Eh, that's an excuse Weiss, not anything else." Yang said, taking another drag. "Neither one of you want to commit to someone else. Winter's military, it makes sense that she'd play things close to the chest. Keep herself as emotionally far away from other people as possible. You though?" Yang shook her head. "I don't get you one bit."

"Sex is easier than love." Weiss countered darkly.

"Is it?" Yang countered. "Or do you just pretend it is?"

"I don't even know what love is." Then those blue eyes softened too. "If it's any consolation, I didn't come just to vent about my problems. I'm worried about you too, you know. You've…" Weiss shook her head. "You're not really in a good place right now. I thought that the detraction of checking in on you, that it would be nice too."

"I'm fine, Weiss." Yang sighed, dislodging the prosthetic arm from her maimed limb. She put her cigarette aside as an afterthought, to avoid getting any ash into the tiny connective parts. "I'm bored out of my skull. I'm not used to sitting on my ass like this for sure, but I manage. I guess that's really all I can ask for."

"Just getting by is no way to live, Yang."

Yang just gave Weiss a dry look. "Pot meet kettle."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

"Good that you know."

"Could you please refrain from being a pain in the butt?" Weiss sincerely murmured. "I'm trying to make sure you're okay too. You were out in the wilds longer than I expected you would be. I know you're trying to fill old voids, and it does hurt me to see you struggling so much. You are my friend, even if nothing else, and I do value that bond with you." Weiss let out a hard sigh. "I thought the lab would give you more work to occupy your time."

"It's not like they don't, it's just not the same though." Yang said with a shrug as she stood up, and put the arm back into its protective casing. "The military's hold on me was a special thing. For an aimless huntress like me, getting orders handed down to me, it made sense. I knew exactly what to do, and how to do it. When it was just Grimm I was all good, I could have done that for my whole life."

"It isn't just Grimm anymore, Yang. It's the White Fang too, now." Weiss pushed some long white tresses behind her ear as she noticed Yang's good hand curling into a fist at her side. The tremors were still there. "Never mind, I know it's probably something I shouldn't bring up."

"Winter told me something once. Some slay Grimm. Others slay people. Most of the time, you're not fit to slay both." Yang said distantly, her hand still shaking as her fist balled more tightly. It didn't quell the tremors, but it made her feel better. "Just because I can slay a Grimm, that doesn't mean I can do the same thing to something that bleeds red. On the flip side, I've seen entire platoons of men piss themselves in the face of a nevermore."

"I just hate the idea of you feeling so lost, with no real goal in life. It's never a good thing when you're out of sorts."

"That's just how I'm going to be, you've gotta get used to it. You can talk about it, I'm not going to flip my shit. Those days are over for me, I can't serve like this." Yang said, indicating the tremors in her hand. Really, she shouldn't have been out in the field at all, not even to punch a few Grimm around, but Yang was stubborn to a fault. Anyone who knew her, knew that, and had to bite their tongues about a great many matters involving her recovery. "Look, at least talking about it, I can remember who I used to be."

"Contrary to what you may believe, James didn't discharge you because he thought you were incapable of service to the military."

"I am incapable, though, look at me."

"Yang…" Weiss murmured, beseeching the blonde to listen. "He did it because _Winter_ could not function. Whenever you were put into any sort of danger, she became distracted. He couldn't afford that then, and he most certainly cannot afford it now." Looking Yang up and down, she had to admit, the blonde looked good. Her scars had healed the best that they would at this point. "I know you don't agree, but, he did the right thing, Yang."

"Maybe, but I don't have to like the bastard. We never got along, I kissed his ass because I had no choice." A good chunk of the cigarette had burned away by the time Yang's attention had turned to it. She flicked the clinging ashes to the tray as she began to smoke it again. "I think we both know the real reason I was there. It wasn't because of him, or because I give a shit about Atlas."

"He knew it too." Weiss said softly. "It was a meaningful oversight on his part, but, of course he knew. It wasn't as though Winter hid the matter. He simply chose not to address it." Weiss let that little truth hang in the air before continuing. "At least now the two of you are free to cross paths against trees whenever you might like. Although for my own sanity, I would appreciate not hearing the sordid details."

"Yeah, well, never mind about me." Yang said, putting out the now depleted cigarette, a soft cough slipping from her lips as the last dregs of smoke escaped. She shucked off the last of her thermal under armor, leaving her in her bra and panties, not even caring that Weiss was right next to her. Maybe she should have, but Yang liked to think otherwise. She wanted to pretend that she had something closer to Weiss than most. That such closeness allowed such an action, questionable as it might have been. "What are you going to do about the chick upstairs?"

"I don't know, Yang." Weiss sighed. "I really just don't know."

* * *

It wasn't as if Yang had been encouraging one way or the other.

It should have been what Weiss expected, really. The blonde couldn't encourage Weiss to act on such a lukewarm emotions. She was smarter than that, more caring and worldly aware. Yang, because of her own trials and tribulations, refused to subject another person to the ruthless mentalities of the Schnee family. Yang had suffered well enough because of Weiss.

To make matters worse, Winter, while having her reasons, had been no better.

Like it or not, the blonde woman had been scorned twice in a row, by the same chilly bloodline.

While Weiss couldn't even begin to classify what it was that Yang and Winter had with each other anymore, she knew it wasn't love. It wasn't just sex, either. Yang couldn't maintain that way, Weiss knew it. Still, whatever was there, it was lacking. Yang was very unhappy with the state of affairs as they were. Still, there was nothing to be done about it. As long as Winter continued to serve, she would not adhere to the confines of a committed relationship.

Weiss pushed the cynical analysis aside. It wasn't truly her concern.

She had made her own mistakes with Yang, she had to live with them. If it just so happened that Winter turned out to make the same errors, so be it. Weiss would pick up the pieces in the aftermath, not a moment sooner. Instead, she needed to figure out her own situation with Blake, and by the looks of it, she was on her own. The moral support she expected from Yang simply would not be there, not this time.

Weiss, to her own credit, returned back to Blake's bed before the sun began to rise. She crumpled the note and tossed it away before laying down.

It wasn't long at all before the white haired woman closed her eyes. The sound of buzzing jittered violently against the wooden side table, denying her sleep even now. The decision from last night slammed into her full force as she felt the movement of the Faunus beside her. The action, while seemingly lethargic for Blake, was like a jolt for Weiss. All of her earlier conflict was like coffee, burning the tip of her tongue. With a silent gasp, she dragged herself away from that addictive warmth of another.

Being in the same bed was an effort in ignorance that neither one of them could truly pull off.

Blue eyes met amber, Blake obviously undisturbed by the fact that Weiss was still there. An unspoken truce to not bring the matter up fizzled between Blake's obvious confusion, and the blatant shame Weiss tried not to show on her face.

"I should prepare." Weiss said, clearing her throat uncomfortably. "I have a full day ahead, I'll be spending most of it in my office."

"Yeah…" Blake trailed off. "So, breakfast, right?"

"I shower first thing in the morning, my hair doesn't allow me the avoidance. Breakfast comes after, which is why I specified that I'd like it to be prepared by seven." Weiss said, her unruly bedhead wasn't nearly as bad as Blake's own. Even so, laying down certainly ruffled the white tendrils, knotting them and sending them askew. "I may have accidentally made that more difficult, however, so if you're late making it today, I'll fully accept the blame for that."

"It should be fine." Blake said simply, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Weiss awkwardly padded off to her overly large master bedroom. Those amber eyes were fixated on her, Blake smirking in amusement as Weiss shut the door behind her. It was none too gently at that. She undressed, all but tossing herself into the shower for the lengthy process of washing herself down and caring for her hair.

Blake was less awkward about her current situation, but she didn't dawdle.

The Faunus grabbed her toiletries bag and used the other bathroom across the hall. It was a shorter experience thanks to the help of a shower cap and a niggling sense of urgency to get breakfast prepared. Unlike human hair, Faunus hair and fur tended to have a smell to it when wet, or at least, that's what Blake had been told. She had never noticed it, but several humans had equated her to a wet dog.

If it was casual racism at play, or merely fact, Blake would never know. She was careful with her hygiene, as most Faunus were. Only washing her hair and fur covered ears when she knew she'd have ample time for it to dry. That would not be today.

After showering, she dressed, and headed to the kitchen to find something to prepare. The basic task would be a grounding one, something she sorely needed as her thoughts drifted back to her encounter with Weiss.

It was hard not to miss the scent that had ghosted over her. A smell of citrus that melted slightly with her usual minty smell. There was also a smell of smoke. It lay thickly on her robe and hair. Weiss hadn't smelled that way before bed, and small suspicions began to claw slightly at the back of Blake's mind. Those smells were not completely new. Blake had picked up on them once or twice before in passing.

They were a sporadic, but, Blake once again reminded herself that Weiss had many in her family who did smoke. It was a common custom among the atlesian elite, women preferential to cigarettes, while men chose upon cigars.

There were decorated cigarette holders upon some of the walls, collective art pieces by the looks of it. She doubted Weiss actually used them. The long metal tubes were an expensive fashion accessory. The ones Weiss seemed to own were elaborately decorated. One was made entirely out of amber. One purely from ivory. One kept in a glass case was finished with white gold, and studded with tiny sapphires.

There were many things Blake didn't know about Weiss, and merely concluded that occasional smoking might be a habit of hers. It was no question that Weiss had been feeling particularly stressed. It would have made sense for her to step out onto the balcony for what might be another vice.

"Is my breakfast ready?" Weiss asked as she stepped out of her room refreshed and dressed, her hair flowing freely over her shoulders, dried, but not yet done up.

"Almost." Blake said, thankful for the distraction. "It's a simple one, since I overslept."

"As I've said before, that's fine." Weiss replied, opening her door to retrieve the morning paper left out on the small welcome mat in front of her door. The automated system always made sure that the morning news came promptly, and as always, it was the way Weiss started her business day. "If I wanted elaborate meals, I certainly wouldn't ask you to make them. There's a five star bistro in this very building."

"I'll be honest, I don't know my way around the kitchen as much as I'd like."

"You know enough." Weiss said offhandedly. "If it becomes problematic, cooking lessons might be in order."

"You don't really plan to keep me 'on staff' after we settle with business with the SDC, do you?" Blake asked, her ears wilting slightly at the thought.

Weiss licked her lips. Blake's question was one that implicated a vast many things, all of them conflicts of interest. If Weiss said yes, the Faunus might take that as an insult. If Weiss said no, the Faunus might think her finical situation to be in jeopardy. It was not easy for a Faunus to find a highly paying job, and Weiss had already purchased her contract in full already. "I suppose that depends."

"On?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Sit down and join me." She demanded, pointing to the table. "You do eat breakfast, don't you?"

"Not all the time, I'm not always hungry."

"You should from now on, sometimes lunch isn't an option. Long commutes into the city don't always facilitate a moment for a bite to eat." Weiss said pointedly, watching as Blake did, indeed, sit across from her. She thought having the Faunus in such a position might make this discussion easier, yet all that it did was bother Weiss. She looked down at her plate, meal partially eaten already, and leisurely picked at her toast a bit more. "I am a woman with a great many demands, Blake. I'm sure you understand this."

"High maintenance certainly comes to mind." The Faunus grinned, resting her chin in her palm.

Weiss hated to admit it, but Blake was probably right. "Sadly, that wouldn't be an untrue assumption to make."

"I know."

"Doesn't that bother you?" Weiss asked honestly.

"It comes down to how much you actually want to maintain, I think." Blake said, nodding slightly, tucking her fingers inwards towards her cheek. "I can't be your lover and your employee, if that's what you're asking. That would bother me. If I just happen to be dating a demanding person, I suppose it comes down to the actual demands."

The horrid table manners aside, Weiss forced herself to keep her mind firmly out of the gutter. It was increasingly difficulty when Blake toyed around in such a manner. She liked her women playful and flirtatious. Blake seemed to have the same sort of impishness that Yang did. It was subtle, and not nearly as inappropriate, but it was there. The obvious interest a gentle one. In fact, there was a lot of tendencies that Blake shared with Yang, likely due to both of them being huntresses and commoners.

Neither had the wealth or stringent upbringing that Weiss had been raised into. She knew for a fact that a straying elbow was hardly the insult that the upper-class thought it to be. In fact, though Weiss loathed to admit it, that casual stance made most women look quite fetching. Each one sexy in their own way.

For Yang, it had always been her impossibly bright smile, and her unmanageable abundance of cleavage. Any time she leaned forward, her breasts nearly spilled out of any top that lacked a high neckline, and truth be told, Yang hated high necklines. The blond ranted, calling them too restrictive, a fact that Weiss could honestly see the discomfort in. Therefore, Yang was almost always on display, caring very little about the matter.

For Blake, the same pose held a different sort allure. It was the way black waves spilled over her shoulders, like an elegant, yet chaotic waterfall. It was the tilt of her chin, a slight flick of her Faunus ears, and the glimmer in her eyes.

Both women were attractive beyond measure. Both of them boiled thoughts of lust that Weiss found difficult to ignore.

"I have never once felt what one might consider love." Weiss said softly. "I know what it might be described as, I can intuit what it could feel like. Personally, I have never experienced it. Sometimes, I doubt I can. So, if that is indeed what you're looking for, there is a good chance I will never been a candidate." Suddenly, she wasn't very hungry anymore, pushing the last of her plate away. "What I feel is attraction."

"Only attraction?"

"Lust comes easily." Weiss told her. "Too easily, actually."

"It was hard not to notice that, last night." Blake murmured. "Weiss, you couldn't have honestly believed that I would have slept with you, could you?"

"I thought it a distinct possibility." Weiss told her. "To be honest, you are the first person that has ever denied the proposition."

"Which leads me to wonder just how many of them have been made in the past." Blake said.

"It's not as large as you might think." Weiss said, as a scroll docked on a station at the kitchen counter began to ring. "You should answer that."

As Weiss had explained it, Blake's morning duties consisted of breakfast, arranging the itinerary, fielding calls on the business line, and keeping everything as organized as it could possibly be. Blake put the conversation aside, instead, answering the scroll.

"Hello, may I help you?" Blake asked.

"You're not Weiss…"

"I'm her new personal assistant, Miss Belladonna." Blake said as heard the scraping of utensils. Amber eyes peered over to the kitchen table where Weiss was back to picking at her eggs and toast thoughtfully. "I can leave a message, if you wish."

"Nah, just hand her the scroll. Tell her that Xiao Long wants to talk to her. Or, ya know, Yang works to."

Blake scowled slightly. "I'm afraid she isn't available at this time."

"The hell she isn't." The woman barked back. "Put her on the damn line."

Blake sighed, looking over to Weiss again. "There's a person by the name of 'Xiao Long' on the phone for you. She insists that you speak with her."

"Of course she does." Weiss sighed at length. "Put her on speaker." She commanded, watching as Blake promptly did as she was told. The small beep and little green light indicated to all parties involved that the call could be heard by everyone in the vicinity. Then, Blake placed the scroll onto the table so that Weiss could speak into it more clearly. "You're on speaker, what do you want, Yang?"

"I want you to put one of your heeled boots up Ironwood's ass!"

Blue eyes rolled at the angry sounding voice of her good friend. "As absolutely disgusting as that suggestion sounds, I think I'll pass. Now, what could he have possibly done to irritate you this time?"

"His goonies are all over the dust lab, Weiss. I mean like everywhere. You can't turn a corner without running into one of his battery operated robo-contraptions. It's not that I really care though, not usually, but if he wants these new prosthetics on rollout, then those damn things have got to go. They're freaking out the medical engineers."

If looks could kill, the phone would have been blown to smithereens. "A possibly stupid question, perhaps, but did you think to call him and explain the situation?"

"To that jackass?"

"Must you call him that?"

"He's a jerk."

"He is not."

"You keep thinking that, Weiss. No matter how good he is to you and your sister, it doesn't mean he's as good to the rest of us."

Weiss rubbed her eyes, blowing out a hot sigh from between her lips. "Yang, calm down, before you explode."

"I'm not gonna-"

"I said calm down."

The silence was heavy, only a gentle static on the line indicating that the call was still going on. Weiss glanced over to Blake. With a frown, Weiss regarded the phone once more. "You should know better than anyone that people rely on those prosthetics replacements. I know you need to hammer out the final bugs on this new prototype, but we've already been waiting an entire year. He can't wait much longer."

"I get that, but making the civvies all jumpy isn't going to fix things."

"He does tend to be a little heavy handed at times." Weiss allowed slowly.

"These putting it mildly. These guys haven't seen a day of action in their lives. Besides, having a platoon of robotic guards armed to the teeth isn't the sort of thing that increases productivity, if you catch my drift…"

"Ruby's dismantling them again, isn't she?" Weiss deadpanned.

"Think of it more like a wacko autopsy…it's just as creepy…"

"Right." Weiss said flippantly. "Well, on my authority, put in the code to send them back to whatever base they came from."

"I did that, it didn't work."

"Try again." Weiss groused. "If you get any questions merely explain the situation to James. If you do it respectfully, and I'm sure he'll be more thoughtful about sending human guards in the future."

Yang was about to start complaining again when Weiss reached over, daintily pressing the button to end the call, also turning off the scroll to go along with it. Uncaringly she returned to her breakfast as though she didn't have a Faunus gawking at her not a few feet away. She took another bite of her egg, only mildly glaring back at Blake as she chewed thoughtfully.

* * *

Eventually, Weiss could no longer stand the amber eyes studying her.

"What are you gawking at?" She muttered from around her mug of coffee.

"You run a dust lab?" Blake asked.

At this, Weiss sighed at length. "You worked in one of our dust mills. Surely you know that some of them provide medical grade dust to our laboratories. We use it for a plethora of testing and experimentation."

"I just didn't realize the military was so involved as well. You said so, but I never considered the depth."

"There is plenty of posturing that goes on between the various branches of the SDC, and the Atlesian military." Then Weiss merely shrugged. "This conflict is one small part of the larger picture. That particular dust lab is non-profit, and although it's not strictly a charity organization. Many artificial limbs are donated to hospitals yearly. I have my own dealings with them, just as my father does. Yang is a friend of mine, but also one of my direct subordinates."

"What does she do, exactly?"

"Outside of building security, she is the first to test each and every arm component that's been made. If it doesn't meet her approval, it won't be put into production." It was then that another scroll in the house began ringing. "Oh, for god's sake..." Weiss muttered, slamming down her fork and knife before retrieving her personal line and stepping into her office, slamming the door behind her.

Quiet fell over the apartment again, the same one Blake hated.

They stayed in, Weiss buried under classified paperwork, and Blake with the media reports.

Weiss had locked her out of the office, claiming that some things were not for Blake's eyes to see. The Faunus relented, but only because she had her own ways to keep busy. Without at least some measure of trust, what they aimed to achieve would not be met.

Although it certainly didn't need looking after, Blake tidied the apartment before flipping around to each and every news network Weiss had access to. With all of the premium channels, there were no small few, and Blake had to use her scroll in order to keep two stations running at a time.

Breaking news came crashing through every hour on the hour, but most of it was only the usual tragic realities found in Atlas. Blizzards causing damage. Grimm migration patterns. Weather reports. All of it was standard fare. Then, came the darker truths. Without hesitation, the reporters complained about gang violence, saying that it was on the rise in the unkempt parts of the city. White Fang activities were also climbing. A string of petty crimes and a few missing person's report rounded out most of the hour by hour coverage.

There were a few times when the people speaking on the matters changed hands.

The more liberal stations spoke about law enforcement, scrutinizing them for disrupting another peaceful protest among Faunus. Footage showing how another march had turned into a riot. Blake liked to think of herself an activist, but, even she found her scowling at the lack of nuance being reported. Instead, images of panic and hysteria displayed across the television with little remorse to the social engineering as a result.

Blake was sure that thinks to those videos, Faunus would be even more convinced that humans wanted to oppress them. While that was certainly true for some, it was most definitely not true for all humans.

She looked into the matter some more, finding the coverage on the matter appalling, from both side of the argument.

She wanted to believe that some of the displayed images were merely for show. The media gas lighting events just to draw in more viewers. Hypocritical viewpoints exhibited bigotry. It seemed to run rampant, but as she bit her lip to really think about it, she knew that what was smeared across the screen wasn't completely real. The clipped footages, both on Pro-Faunus and Anti-Faunus rights channels clipped segments out, giving a skewed picture.

Sure, Atlas wasn't home to the kindest people. Blake would never dispute that.

Still, she knew all too well, the most sinister form of bigotry was the silent kind.

Finally, as she was bust dealing with that evening's dinner, her ears twitched as a blurb came across one of the stations. Accusations about the mismanagement of dust mining personnel. It had been what she spent hours waiting for, and she held her breath. Her ears folding a bit as she listened intently. While the faces were covered by a black shroud, and their voices had been intentionally warbled beyond recognition, Blake realized these confessional were the ones she had personally taped.

These were her friends and allies, some of them had never known a life outside of Atlas. Some didn't even know a life outside of the mines, hearing only the stories of those who came to retrieve the crystalized dust to take it to the factories.

Blake turned down the sound on the television. Just because she was forced to listen to it, didn't mean she wanted to hear each and every detail a second time. She had seen enough, heard more than enough the first time. Every time the camera shook even slightly, Blake recalled the way her own body had done the same as she did her best to keep from being sick.

This Faunus woman described in detail the way she had been mistreated, the allegations even included being raped. Finally, just as Blake was about to run off the television entirely, the clip ended, and the station moved onto another topic. It was as if they didn't seem to care. The clip shown, and then brushed aside.

"Bastards." Blake choked out when she realized she hadn't been the only one listening to the clip play.

"So, the complaints are finally being released." Weiss said numbly, leaning on the narrow wall that separated part of the kitchen from the living and dining area. Now that she had heard one properly, she didn't know what to say. Part of her was shocked, the other numbly absorbing the allegations against her father, and his beloved company. The one _she_ wanted to have. It seemed further out of reach. Now more than ever, and in more ways than one.

"It looks like it."

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked, the touch of concern in her voice carrying heavily enough to make the Faunus take pause.

Blake said nothing at first, just watching the salmon cook in the pan, the sizzling meat a blissful distraction. Sadly, it wasn't nearly enough. "Do I look okay to you?"

"You look pale."

"I feel sick."

"You should sit down then."

"No, I'll burn the fish."

Weiss eyed her. It was a little white lie. An action to keep busy, Weiss knew that instantly. Blake kept toying with the vegetables sautéing in another pan. Butter and garlic pleasantly cloaking the room with such a smell. She appeared to be stirring them, but the action was too robotic to be anything other than a mindless way to keep herself grounded.

"You went in with this stronger than I thought you would." Weiss noted then, her voice soft. When faced with the choice of sympathy or clinical reasoning, she chose upon the latter. "You made it sound as though the list of grievances you gathered would slowly rise in scope and scale each day."

"What makes you think they won't?" Blake asked, killing the burners with a loud click to each dial. "For every handful of small complaints, there are more like these. Some people think Faunus are playthings. Some see us as ex toys, fetishes, and that's it. Add to that the abysmal housing conditions, terrible meal consumption, health concerns, and oppressive pay, and your father will have a lot to answer for. The record that you give me, those are just to top it all off."

"As terrible as it is to say, and how horrible it might sound, we're in for the long haul. My father will likely reply to this before the day is done." Weiss told her. "It'll be forgotten about, just like other allegation in the past."

"I don't want to hear it." Blake growled, ears laying down dangerously flat. "I don't want to hear anything he has to say right now. It'll just be a lie anyway."

Weiss frowned, sighing sadly as she reached for the remote, clicking the television off without another thought. What measure of comfort could she really offer? Feeling worthless, she once again settled on simple fact. "I'd rather not have my meal interrupted with mindless drivel anyway."

Blake plated their meals, setting them onto the table before quietly sitting down, staring daggers into one of her favorite food. If it was any other time, she would have had to refrain from purring at the taste. she could have never afforded atlesian salmon on her pay before, especially not fresh, and directly delivered by the local fishermen. Weiss had bought the lengths of meat without even batting an eye saying that she, too, enjoyed the delicacy.

It was depressing that Blake could barely register the flavor at all. She could tell that Weiss was watching her, but made no attempt to soothe the worry in those blue eyes. Weiss seemed compelled to leave the matter be, the dinner going by silently. When they were done, Weiss excused herself, closing herself in her office once again.

Blake hated it, she hated all of it.

She went through the motions anyway. Dishes were rinsed by hand, then placed into the dishwasher. The decaffeinated coffee percolated in the pot, and served with one cube of sugar. At least Weiss hadn't locked the door this time. Instead, Weiss sat at her desk, her scroll pressed to her ear, speaking to someone. Her words were vague enough that Blake couldn't tell what sort of person was on the other side.

Affiliate or subordinate, friend or foe, Blake couldn't be sure. For her, it was the last straw after an increasingly long day. She finally asked the question that had been truly bothering her. "Weiss, do you smoke?" Blake wondered aloud once the woman had hung up the call.

"On very rare occasions, when the social sphere demands it."

"Really?"

Weis nodded. "There are some SDC clients who have little quirks, you see. They become more lax during meetings when they feel most comfortable, and I aim to entertain these clients to the best of my ability." She said, looking up from the billing information laid in a neat pile in front of her. "Personally, however, I don't see the appeal."

"I'd like to believe that, but if it's true, then it only raises more suspicions."

"How so?"

"Your robe smelled of smoke this morning." Blake told her unflinchingly. "That's a strong smell, even another human would notice it." It was all the evidence she had, but all she needed as Weiss reacted visibly. "I doubt you were out seeing a client."

"A friend turned recent employee lives in this same building. My sister and I insisted she keep an apartment nearby, and Yang is a habitual smoker." Weiss said then. "She returned from a somewhat dangerous task. Yang tends to hide her injuries, we also spent some time chatting, as friends tend to do."

"Yang, woman who called earlier?"

"Indeed."

Blake sighed, feeling her head begin to throb. "Weiss, what are we?"

"Does it require a label?"

Blake sucked on her teeth. That was a good question. "Under normal circumstances, it probably wouldn't, but these last forty-eight hours have been rather unusual. I just don't know how you see me, or, what you even want from me."

"Last I recall, you wouldn't entertain the notion of what I wanted." Weiss replied back coolly.

"I won't sleep with you just for the sake of it."

"That would be a clear point where out ideologies differ." Weiss replied simply. "I require an exclusive courtesan, one whom I might consider a friend. There there's the business side of matters, which as you know, also requires a personal assistant. That is what I need in my life, everything else comes secondary until my personal goals have been met."

"I don't believe that." Blake scoffed.

"I have absolutely no reason to lie."

"You're different when you drink." Blake bravely crossed the threshold. Stepping being the desk and turning the large chair that rested imposingly behind it. "The woman I thought I knew, she's not the woman sitting in front of me right now." Weiss was hardly the intimidation she wanted to appear to be when Blake towered over her. "I've been trying to come to terms with that, but I realized something."

"And what, precisely, would that something be?" Weiss asked, inclining her head. That scowl was almost cute.

"You're not honest with yourself." Blake pointed out, thinking the matter obvious. "Or, if you are, you refuse to display that honesty."

"I am perfectly honest." Weiss replied. "However, I will agree that while inebriated, I may give off the wrong impression."

"Did you go to Yang to get what I wouldn't give you?" Blake asked then.

"No, that was not my intention, and it wasn't what transpired." Weiss replied. "However, for transparency's sake, I believe an introduction is in order." Checking the time, Weiss nodded to herself. "I have to go to the dust lab anyway, you can meet Yang for yourself."

* * *

The lab was over an hour away from the apartment building, and nestled itself in the seedier area of poverty riddled Atlas. The black smog that poured out from the industry buildings colored the sky grey, as it drifted downwind, which always wafted southbound from the northern mountaintops. It was why so many factories were built in this location. The poor were forced to live with the pollution that the rich simply weren't subjected to.

The build was large, and the outside used to be painted brightly in white and blue. Now it just looked old and dirty.

They walked through the reinforced metal doors, and the door security, both of them bypassing the scanners when Weiss offered a flick of her wrist. A key card bypassing usual protocol. The workers bid her good evening, and then glanced to Blake wordlessly as Weiss passed them by. The Faunus followed behind, her ears aching in dismay under her bow she used to hide them.

None of them had any clue she was a Faunus, something that would be clear the moment she ever passed through a scanner at all.

Realizing she would be safe with Weiss, she put aside her fear. Then she swallowed down the slight ire she felt at being watched, reminding herself it wasn't due to her attributes, but her place behind Weiss in general. It was probably uncommon, but Blake didn't get the chance to ask. Instead, they stepped through another set of doors, which led into a women's changing area.

"I'm sure you have a basic understanding of how to handle dust, but just as a reminder, dust is a dangerous substance when mishandled, and caustic when abused. Here in the lab, several new types of dust are being experimented upon, and there are crystals here that have not been exposed to the public. We don't even know their properties, and thus even you will not have handled them before."

"I'll be sure not to touch them." Blake assured her.

"You won't be permitted in those areas. To be quite frank, even if I trust you, I don't trust that you will not be harmed by the dust in question. therefore you will have to mind the signs, and wear the equipment specified by each room." Weiss said, pulling a lab coat and white scrubs off the hanger, handing them to Blake. "Are you allergic to latex?"

"No." Blake said as she began to dress.

"These too." She said, giving Blake a set of latex gloves and a pair of protective goggles. "We won't be going into any of the rooms with inhalants, but keep this on you, just in case." Weiss said, giving Blake a thick cloth mask. They both donned the protective gear, all except for the face masks, which they shoved into the pockets of the lab coats.

Stepping though another set of double doors, they then began running into the androids that Yang had been upset about. There was two of them standing idle in this very hall, their loadouts enough to kill off a swarm of Grimm.

"I hate these metal contraptions." Blake murmured to Weiss as it stood in the hall, an unfeeling mass of metal and murder. They were often used at Faunus rallies to suppress the public. Hard rubber balls replaced in their guns over bullets, made non-lethal firepower possible. Even so, Blake had come to hate the metal monstrosities.

"You and Yang both." Weiss said, as she headed for the central administration office. "Thankfully, when there aren't states of emergency, the Schnee family have codes we can use to send these units away. It takes all of three seconds to type in the code, but it has to be done in office."

"Why did he even send them here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Weiss shrugged, stopping when she found a bolt on the floor by her feet. She scowled at it as she picked it up. "Ruby Rose…" She groused to herself, a trail of scuff marks on the floor indicating an argument that one of the military's patrol units obviously lost. She pocketed the lonely little bolt before continuing on her way.

"I suppose I should tell you now, this lab is rather small." Weiss said distantly, her voice purely professional. "It houses a great many of the SDC's reject employees from larger, more successful labs. Ruby Rose, our chief robotics engineer is every bit as eccentric as you could possibly expect from this line of work, and twice as lacking in common sense. Keep away from her if you can manage it. She's a walking disaster, and allergic to dust."

"Then why is she working in a dust lab of all places?"

Weiss smirked at such a question. Why indeed? "The little maniac is a genius, that's why."

"Doesn't seem like a very good reason."

"She's not even old enough to drink, and her thesis papers on weaponized machinery have revolutionized the way use dust in the field." Weiss shrugged, even she was perplexed by Ruby's abilities. "The military wanted her, but she's a citizen of Vale, not Atlas. She's here because of her sister. As much as James hates to admit it, the military can't touch her."

A final swipe of a card key, a gentle beep, and two final metal doors unlocked. They stepped though. Several computer terminals surrounded the room, some of them were idle, other had lines of code. A few kept word documents sitting open.

Sitting in the middle of all of it was a woman with her bare feet up on her desk, and her keyboard resting across her lap as she reclined backwards, typing what looked to be a strongly worded letter across a large flat screen monitor. The loud interference of rock music was obviously blasting into her ears from her headphones, and billow of smoke issued from her lips.

Blake raised an eyebrow at the scene, not quite sure what to say, as it was obvious the woman hadn't noticed them. "Who-"

"That complete insult to propriety, would be Yang." Weiss interrupted, already feelings her cheeks heat from embarrassment.

"Didn't you say she was part of building security?"

"Yes, unfortunately, I did…you might want to protect your ears." Weiss sighed at length before shouting at the absolute top of her lungs. "YANG XIAO LONG!"

The blonde jumped up, her headphones yanking her backwards as she toppled to the floor.


End file.
